COLOR-VISION IN DIABETIC AND NORMAL PSEUDOPHAKES IS WORSE THAN EXPECTED

Automated colour vision testing in pseudophakes showed unexpected resu lts, Chromatic discrimination sensitivity was measured in 22 diabetic pseudophakes with no retinopathy, 23 diabetic pseudophakes with backgr ound retinopathy and 34 non-diabetic pseudophakes. These results were compared with those in age-matched normal and diabetic phakic subjects , all of whom had good vision, The diabetics were also matched for ret inopathy grading and duration of diabetes, In all three groups, red-gr een discrimination was worse in the pseudophakes when with the corresp onding phakic subjects (normals, p < 0.001; no retinopathy, p = 0.467; background retinopathy, p = 0.057). However, tritan vision was margin ally worse in the normal pseudophake group but was better in the two d iabetic pseudophake groups, when compared with phakic controls, This m ay be due to a reduction in tritan sensitivity in age-matched phakic c ontrols from the effects of increased lens yellowing with age.