Relationship between Medium-Term Changes in Intraocular Lens Position and Refraction after Cataract Surgery with Two Different Models of Monofocal Lenses.

The aim of this prospective descriptive study was to characterize the variations of the clinical effective lens position (ELP) (considering paraxial optics and postoperative data) and the intraocular lens (IOL) position, using "eye" data gathered from a 6-month follow-up of patients who underwent uneventful cataract surgery. Patients were implanted with two different monofocal IOLs: AcrySof IQ SN60WF (Alcon) (Group 1, 247 eyes) and Akreos MI60L (Bausch & Lomb) (Group 2, 104 eyes). No significant differences were found between groups concerning spherical equivalent (SE), axial length, and clinical ELP changes, from 1 to 6 months after surgery (p ≥ 0.516). A more positive change in postoperative anterior chamber depth was found in Group 2, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.065). No significant moderate to strong correlations were found between the changes in clinical ELP and preoperative data. The correlation between the changes in SE and clinical ELP over time was strong and statistically significant (groups 1 and 2: r = 0.957 and r = 0.993, p < 0.001). In conclusion, changes in refraction from 1 to 6 months after cataract surgery, with single-piece monofocal IOLs, are not clinically relevant, which correlates with the presence of good positional stability. These changes cannot be predicted preoperatively and considered in IOL power calculations.

Could anatomical changes occurring with cataract surgery have a clinically significant effect on effective intraocular lens position?

PURPOSE: To assess if the calculation of the effective lens position (ELP) of two different monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) could be optimized by considering the potential anatomical changes occurring after cataract surgery. METHODS: Prospective, descriptive, single-center study involving 472 eyes of 280 subjects (mean age 73.5 years) undergoing cataract surgery that were divided into two groups according to the IOL implanted: group 1330 eyes with AcrySof IQ SN60WF (Alcon), and group 2142 eyes with Akreos MI60L (Bausch + Lomb). Refractive and biometric changes were evaluated during a period of 6-month follow-up with an optical biometer (considering potential measurement artifacts). Comparison of ELP estimated with the SRK-T formula (ELPSRK-T) and ELP calculated considering clinical real data was made (ELPAXL-corrected clinical). RESULTS: Besides significant changes in refraction (p ≤ 0.020), a significant increase in anterior chamber depth (ACD) (p < 0.001) and a significant reduction in the axial length (AXL) (p < 0.001) were detected at 1 month after surgery. Mean 1-month postoperative AXL change was - 0.08 ± 0.06 and - 0.10 ± 0.11 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.001), with no significant changes afterward. Mean difference between ELPSRK-T and ELPAXL-corrected clinical was 0.17 ± 0.39 and - 0.23 ± 0.43 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.001). A strong and statistically significant correlation of these differences with the prediction refractive error was found in both groups (group 1, r = - 0.723; group 2, r = - 0.819; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The estimation of ELP using the SRK-T formula for the two IOLs evaluated may be optimized considering biometric changes with surgery, helping to understand better some problems of refractive unpredictability.