Objective: To investigate the characteristics of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity in age-related cataract patients.
Methods: In this study, 115 eyes of 66 age-related cataract patients with a best corrected visual acuity of 0.5 or better, who had been classified into cortical cataract group (50 eyes of 31 subjects), nuclear sclerosis group (32 eyes of 17 subjects), posterior subcapsular cataract group (33 eyes of 18 subjects); and control group (34 eyes of 34 subjects) were examined with a contrast glare tester to assess contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity.
Results: There were statistically significant differences among contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity in the cataract patients with different visual acuity at low, medium spatial frequency (P < 0.01); there were no statistically significant differences among those at high spatial frequency (P > 0.05). Cortical cataract was associated with the contrast sensitivity at low, medium spatial frequency, where the glare contrast sensitivity fell into at low, medium and high spatial frequency; in the patients with cataract of nuclear sclerosis was associated with the contrast sensitivity at low spatial frequency, where the glare contrast sensitivity was at low, medium and high spatial frequency; in contrast to posterior subcapsular cataract both the contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity (at low, medium, high spatial frequency) were lower than normal eyes (P < 0.05). Each spatial frequency of contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity in 57 cataract eyes with a best corrected visual acuity of 0.8 or better were lower than normal eyes. In those eyes the contrast sensitivity at low spatial frequency and glare contrast sensitivity at low and high spatial frequency had statistically significant difference compared with control (P < 0.05); other spatial frequency had no statistically significant difference among groups (P > 0.05). The glare contrast sensitivity in cataract eyes was lower than contrast sensitivity at visual angle of 6.3 degrees, 4.0 degrees, 2.5 degrees, 1.6 degrees, 1.0 degrees, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Contrast sensitivity and glare contrast sensitivity are reliable in evaluating visual function in the patients with early age-related cataract.