A comparison of mesopic visual acuity and objective visual quality following cataract surgery with hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses

PURPOSE To evaluate mesopic visual acuity and visual quality as measured by objective scatter index (OSI) in pseudophakic eyes with long-term follow-up after implantation of hydrophobic acrylic lenses made from two different lens materials. SETTING This study was carried out in a private clinic. DESIGN This study was an observational cohort study. METHODS This pilot study included 181 eyes of 136 patients who had undergone cataract surgery with implantation of monofocal hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs), either Alcon AcrySof (82 eyes) or Abbott Medical Optics' Tecnis (99 eyes). The monocular corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of the subjects was recorded under mesopic room illumination and OSI was measured by an optical quality analysis system using double-pass wavefront method. RESULTS Mean follow-up duration was 60.07±18.82 months. Eyes implanted with Tecnis IOLs had statistically significantly better mesopic CDVA (0.08±0.08) compared to those implanted with AcrySof IOLs (0.11±0.07) (P=0.020). Mesopic CDVA of 20/25 or better was found in 79.8% of eyes in the Tecnis group compared to 62.2% of eyes in AcrySof group. Similarly, OSI was also found to be statistically significantly better for Tecnis IOLs compared to AcrySof IOL group (mean OSI, Tecnis: 1.65±0.92, AcrySof: 2.01±1.36; P=0.033). When glaucomatous eyes were excluded, OSI was still significantly better (P=0.028) in the Tecnis IOL group. CONCLUSION The eyes implanted with Tecnis IOLs showed better long-term optical performance in terms of both OSI and mesopic visual acuity in comparison to those with AcrySof IOLs.