Effects of blue-light-filtering intraocular lenses on contrast sensitivity in patients with glaucoma

Abstract

To compare the effects of blue-light-filtering intraocular lenses (BF-IOLs) and conventional ultraviolet-blocking intraocular lenses (UVB-IOLs) on contrast sensitivity in patients with concurrent cataracts and glaucoma. This prospective randomized comparative interventional study enrolled glaucomatous patients with concurrent cataracts scheduled for cataract surgery with IOL implantation at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between October 2016 and March 2018. The patients were randomly assigned to receive BF-IOLs or UVB-IOLs. A functional vision analyzer measured contrast sensitivity at spatial frequencies of 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, and 18.0 cycles per degree (CPD). The contrast sensitivity values of the 2 patient groups were compared at 2 months postoperatively. The study enrolled 42 eyes (21 with primary angle-closure glaucoma and 21 with primary open-angle glaucoma) of 32 patients. Twenty eyes received BF-IOLs, and 22 received UVB-IOLs. Postoperative logarithmic contrast sensitivity (log contrast sensitivity) significantly improved at each spatial frequency in both groups, except for 1.5 CPD. The median postoperative log contrast sensitivity values for the spatial frequencies of 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, and 18.0 CPD for the BF-IOL group were 1.6, 1.9, 1.8, 1.4, and 0.6, respectively, compared to 1.4, 1.8, 1.7, 1.2, and 0.8 for the UVB-IOL group. However, the 2 groups had no significant differences in log contrast sensitivity values at each spatial frequency (P = .20, .37, .30, .28, and .68, respectively). Cataract surgery with IOL implantation improved contrast sensitivity in glaucomatous patients. The BF-IOLs and UVB-IOLs showed no statistically significant difference in the postoperative contrast sensitivity achieved at each spatial frequency.