Purpose: We assessed the optical quality and intraocular scattering after posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens implantation.
Methods: We examined prospectively 38 eyes of 19 consecutive patients undergoing implantable contact lens (ICL) implantation (mean age ± SD 36.3 ± 5.7 years), and 38 age-matched normal eyes of 19 healthy volunteers (mean age 36.4 ± 4.9 years). We assessed quantitatively the values of modulation transfer function (MTF) cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, objective scattering index (OSI), and the Optical Quality Analysis System (OQAS) values (OVs). We compared these variables in eyes undergoing ICL implantation to those in healthy eyes.
Results: The mean MTF cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, OSI, OV 100%, OV 20%, and OV 9% were 28.69 ± 8.59 cycles/degree, 0.17 ± 0.04, 1.06 ± 0.48, 0.96 ± 0.29, 0.83 ± 0.31, and 0.83 ± 0.32, respectively, 3 months after ICL implantation. We found no significant differences in the MTF cutoff frequency (Mann Whitney U test, P = 0.31), Strehl ratio (P = 0.46), OSI (P = 0.30), or OVs at contrasts of 100% (P = 0.51), 20% (P = 0.46), and 9% (P = 0.36), between the ICL and control groups.
Conclusions: The optical quality parameters, such as the MTF cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, OSI, or OVs in the ICL group, were not significantly different from those in the control group, suggesting that the optical quality and intraocular scattering of eyes undergoing ICL implantation essentially was equivalent to those of healthy eyes.