Effect of chromatic aberration on contrast sensitivity in pseudophakic eyes

Objective: To evaluate the effect of chromatic aberrations in pseudophakic eyes with various types of intraocular lenses (IOLs). Patients and Methods: The study included 51 eyes of 33 patients who underwe nt cataract surgery. The eyes were divided into 3 groups according to the m aterial from which their IOL was made: group 1, polymethyl methacrylate; gr oup 2, silicone; and group 3, an acrylate/methacrylate copolymer. Ten norma l phakic control eyes (group 4) underwent the same examination. Best-correc ted distance visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were measured under whi te light and monochromatic light with wavelengths of 470 nm, 549 nm, and 63 0 nm, with the best correction under white light. Results: There were no significant differences in best-corrected visual acu ity and contrast sensitivity under the 549-nm monochromatic light in any gr oup. However, under both white multichromatic light and 470- and 630-nm mon ochromatic light, the mean contrast sensitivity in group 3 tended to be low er, sometimes significantly, than in the other IOL groups. Conclusions: Our results showed that longitudinal chromatic aberrations of some IOLs may degrade the quality of the retinal image. Attention must be p aid to the detailed optical performance of IOL materials to achieve good vi sual function.