Study: IOL color has no effect on sleep, mood

PARIS — Yellow blue-blocking intraocular implants have no impact on sleep and mood, according to a study presented at the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology.

“There has been discussion on the impact of cataract surgery and intraocular implants, particularly blue-blocking implants, on sleep and mood. Some authors hypothesized that modifications of the light spectrum entering the eye through the IOL might alter melanopsin secretion, melanin production and the circadian rhythm. However, nothing so far has been proven,” Olivia Zambrowski, MD, said.

Olivia Zambrowski

The study she presented was the first randomized, multicenter study evaluating the effect of IOL color on sleep and mood by comparison of white and yellow implants. A total of 204 patients were included and randomly assigned to implantation with white or yellow IOLs. After surgery, they were asked to keep a sleep diary, recording specific observations on sleep patterns and variations, to evaluate sleep quality on a scale 0 to 4, and to fill in a mood self-assessment questionnaire.

“No significant difference was found between patients implanted with white and yellow IOL implants for any of the variables analyzed in the study,” Zambrowski said. “We could find no evidence of an effect of IOL color on sleep and mood.”

Disclosure: Zambrowski reports no relevant financial disclosures.