RESUMO
PURPOSE: To determine the ability of the potential acuity meter (PAM) to predict potential visual acuity through lenticular opacities in a group of cataract patients without significant other ocular pathology. METHODS: This prospective study undertook PAM measurements on each eye of 84 subjects during preoperative hospital visits to either A Scan or Primary Care clinics. PAM results were compared to best corrected visual acuity findings obtained at least 6 weeks post-cataract extraction. RESULTS: Comparison of PAM result to visual outcome showed poor correlation (rho = 0.41, P = 0.0005). Using predictive estimates, 49% of subjects' PAM results underestimated visual outcome as determined by a difference of greater than 2 Snellen acuity lines in these results. Factors such as preoperative vision level, cataract type and pupil dilation did not significantly influence the predictive power of the PAM. Preoperative pinhole results were also correlated with visual outcome (rho = 0.42, P = 0.0006). Vison in the fellow eye of subjects with 6/9 or better was correlated to the PAM result indicating a moderate to good predictive power in 'normal' eyes. CONCLUSIONS: PAM results were considered to be poor for a clinical test. The results of this study indicate that this instrument has only a limited usefulness as part of the standard preoperatve examination in patients undergoing cataract extraction.