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Potential vision tests reliably predict acuity after cataract surgery
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ST. LOUIS – A comparison of three potential vision tests showed that they all significantly correlated with best corrected visual acuity after cataract surgery.
Janice McMahon, OD, of Illinois College of Optometry, presented her study, which was named as one of the top five poster presentations, here at Optometry’s Meeting.
McMahon and colleagues used the potential acuity meter, interferometer and near super-pinhole to measure preoperative acuity in 245 eyes undergoing cataract extraction to compare to 1-month postoperative acuity.
“Previous studies have compared methods of predicting final acuity after cataract surgery, but not multiple methods in the same population,” she told attendees.
Some patients in the study had co-morbidities; some had none. The patients did not know they were involved in a prospective study.
“We compared the predicted final acuity for each instrument with the actual best corrected visual acuity achieved,” McMahon said.
The three methods were statistically similar, they significantly correlated with postoperative best corrected visual acuity, and “by adding age and maculopathy together with any one of the three increases the prediction of postop best visual acuity,” she said.
“Potential vision tests allow both the optometrist and the surgeon to set reasonable expectations for final visual acuity after cataract surgery,” McMahon concluded. “After you decide a patient is a good candidate for cataract surgery, use one of these devices and give the patient realistic expectations of what their vision will be after cataract surgery.”
She said the interferometer was the easiest to use, the pinhole was easy for the patient to understand, and the potential acuity meter took longer and frustrated patients sooner. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO
Reference:
McMahon J, et al. Comparison of the potential acuity meter, interferometer and near super-pinhole in cataract patients. Presented at: Optometry’s Meeting, June 19-23, 2019; St. Louis.
Disclosure: McMahon reported no relevant financial disclosures.