Scanning electron microscopic features of explanted degraded hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses which were in vivo for a prolonged period

Clinical performance and shape analysis of trifocal intraocular lenses via scanning electron microscopy

BACKGROUND

To evaluate visual performance after implantation of the TFNT (Acrysof Panoptix, Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) and CNWT (Clareon Panoptix, Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) intraocular lens (IOL), and compare the lens shape observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM).

METHODS

Eighteen patients (18 eyes) received implantation of the CNWT and Twenty patients (20 eyes) received implantation of the TFNT. Exclusion criteria were previous ocular surgeries, ocular pathologies, or corneal abnormalities. Intervention or Observational Procedure(s): Postoperative examination at 1 months including manifest refraction; evaluation of refractive error, distance-corrected visual acuity (DCVA) at 5 m, 1 m, 70 cm, 50 cm, 40 cm, and 30 cm, slit-lamp examination; defocus curve testing; contrast sensitivity (CS) was performed. The lens shape of the TFNT and the CNWT was examined under SEM.

RESULTS

Mean spherical equivalent was 0.11 ± 0.41 D (CNWT group) and 0.12 ± 0.34 D (TFNT group) 1 month postoperation. DCVA and defocus curve showed no significant difference between the two groups. CS was significantly higher in CNWT group than TFNT group at spatial frequencies of 6 cycles per degree (cpd). Observation of the IOL with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that CNWT group had improved diffraction structure and edge processing accuracy compared to TFNT group.

CONCLUSION

There was no significant difference between the two groups in the defocus curve and visual acuity at all distances. CS was better in the CNWT group than in the TFNT group. IOL surface features may affect CS.