Clinical evaluation of the transparency of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens optics

Purpose To clinically evaluate postoperative changes in the transparency of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs). Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan. Design Case-control study. Methods Eyes having phacoemulsification were randomly assigned to have implantation of 1 of 3 hydrophobic acrylic IOL models. The IOLs were photographed at 0 degree and 90 degrees 1 week, 6 months, and 1 year after implantation using a Nidek EAS-1000 anterior chamber analyzer in slit mode. The images were used to determine the intensity of light scattering in the surface and middle regions of the IOL optic. Results The study comprised 65 eyes of 57 patients with a mean age of 72.5 years. The rate of increase in light-scattering intensity was similar in the middle and surface regions of the Tecnis ZA9003 aspheric IOL. The increase in light-scattering intensity in both regions of the AF-1 VA-60BB spherical IOL was greater than that in the aspheric IOL at all the measurement points. The intensity of light scattering was highest and tended to increase over time in both regions of the AcrySof SA60AT spherical IOL; the rate of increase in intensity was higher in the surface region than in the middle region, and the difference was significantly greater at 6 months and 1 year than at 1 week. Conclusion Our results suggest that AcrySof SA60AT and AF-1 VA-60BB IOLs are likely to develop glistenings over time and that the former may develop whitening. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.