Reading ability with pseudophakic monovision and with refractive multifocal intraocular lenses: Comparative study
Received 5 September 2008; received in revised form 26 March 2009; accepted 27 March 2009.
Purpose
To the compare the reading ability after bilateral cataract surgery in patients who had pseudophakic monovision achieved by monofocal intraocular lens (IOL) implantation and patients who had refractive multifocal IOL implantation.
Setting
Department of Ophthalmology, Kitasato University Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
Methods
This study evaluated patients who had bilateral cataract surgery using the monovision method with monofocal IOL implantation to correct presbyopia (monovision group) or who had bilateral cataract surgery with refractive multifocal IOL implantation (multifocal group). In the monovision group, the dominant eye was corrected for distance vision and the nondominant eye for near vision. The maximum reading speed, critical character size, and reading acuity were measured binocularly without refractive correction using MNREAD-J acuity charts.
Results
The monovision group comprised 38 patients and the multifocal group, 22 patients. The mean maximum reading speed was 350.5 characters per minute (cpm) ± 62.3 (SD) in the monovision group and 355.0 ± 53.3 cpm in the multifocal group; the difference was not statistically significant. The mean critical character size was 0.24 ± 0.12 logMAR and 0.40 ± 0.16 logMAR, respectively (P<.05). The mean reading acuity was 0.05 ± 0.12 logMAR and 0.19 ± 0.11 logMAR, respectively (P<.01). The monovision group had better critical character size and reading acuity results.
Conclusion
The monovision method group had better reading ability; however, careful patient selection is essential.
From the Department of Rehabilitation, Orthoptics and Visual Science Course (Ito), School of Allied Health Science, and Department of Ophthalmology (Shimizu), School of Medicine, Kitasato University, Kanagawa, Japan
Corresponding author: Misae Ito, CO, Department of Rehabilitation, Orthoptics and Visual Science Course, School of Allied Health Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1, Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 228-8555, Japan.
Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.