Visual performance of acrylic and PMMA intraocular lenses.

AIM: To evaluate the quality of visual functions after cataract surgery and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with different lens materials and compare the results with age-matched subjects with clear phakic eyes. METHODS: Control and pseudophakic groups involved individuals aged between 50 and 75 years, without any accompanying ocular or systemic disease. In all, 50 eyes implanted with foldable acrylic IOLs, and 41 eyes implanted with polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) IOLs were compared with 45 phakic eyes as controls. Visual functions were evaluated for contrast sensitivity function and glare disability. The results were compared statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: At high luminance levels, the difference among groups for contrast sensitivity was statistically significant for all spatial frequencies (P<0.05). Although the acrylic IOL-implanted eyes had better results at all three spatial frequencies, no significant difference existed between the two study groups for these spatial frequencies (P>0.05). Glare disability scores were significantly higher in the PMMA-IOL group compared to the control and acrylic-IOL groups. CONCLUSION: The visual quality achieved in pseudophakic eyes was not as good as in clear phakic eyes in regard to contrast sensitivity and glare. However, acrylic IOLs fared better than PMMA IOLs.

Relationship between retinal lesions and axial length, age and sex in high myopia.

We analysed the relationship between central and peripheral retinal lesions and axial length (AL), patient's age and sex with myopia greater than 6 diopters. A total of 212 eyes of 109 patients with high myopia underwent detailed funduscopy and A-scan ultrasonography. AL was measured, and central and peripheral retinal lesions were noted. Results were analysed using Student's t-test. Sixty-one patients (118 eyes) were female and 48 (94 eyes) male. Mean age was 31.00 +/- 13.67 years, and mean AL was 28.31 +/- 2.02 mm. Chorioretinal atrophy, Fuchs' spot, posterior staphyloma and posterior vitreous detachment increased significantly with AL and age. Fuchs' spot was more common in females. White-without-pressure (WWP) was inversely correlated with AL and age, and was more common in males. The high frequency of WWP in younger patients and moderate AL suggests that these lesions result from vitreoretinal tractions. Lattice degeneration was also a frequent finding in high myopia, and tended to increase with AL and age, though without reaching statistical significance.