Color discrimination by patients with different types of light-filtering intraocular lenses

Purpose

To evaluate photopic and mesopic color discrimination in patients with different types of light-filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs).

Setting

Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University Eye Center, Beijing, China.

Methods

Cataract patients with different types of IOLs were enrolled 3 months postoperatively. Overall and partial color discrimination under photopic (1000 lux) and mesopic (40 lux) conditions were evaluated with the Farnsworth-Munsell (FM) 100-hue test. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was tested under both conditions. Subjective visual quality was assessed with the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25).

Results

The study evaluated 43 patients with a blue light–filtering IOL (15 photochromic, 13 yellow tinted) or an IOL filtering ultraviolet light only (n = 15). The difference in the FM 100-hue total error scores under photopic or mesopic conditions was not statistically significant between groups. There were no statistically significant differences in partial error scores in the 10 bands of the FM 100-hue color circle under photopic conditions. Under mesopic condition, there were statistically significant differences in partial error scores in the green to blue–green band (color caps 36 to 46) and the blue–green to blue band (color caps 46 to 54) (P = .005 and P = .030, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in mean overall or subheading NEI VFQ-25 scores.

Conclusions

Filtering blue lights under mesopic conditions seemed to modify color discrimination in the green-to-blue bands postoperatively. The modification did not disturb overall color discrimination or cause subjective discomfort.

Financial Disclosure

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.