Comparison of contrast sensitivity and color discrimination after clear and yellow intraocular lens implantation

PURPOSE: To compare contrast sensitivity and color vision in patients in whom blue-light filtering and non-yellow-tinted intraocular lenses (IOLs) were implanted. SETTING: Refractive Surgery Unit, Hospital NISA Valencia al Mar, Valencia, Spain. METHODS: Forty eyes of 20 patients were enrolled in a blue-light filtering fellow-eye control study; patients were implanted with a yellow-tinted IOL (AcrySof Natural, Alcon) in 1 eye and a non-yellow-tinted IOL (AcrySof SA60AT, Alcon) in the fellow eye after cataract surgery. Three months postoperatively, monocular contrast sensitivity function was measured with the CSV 1000-E contrast sensitivity chart at distance and the color discrimination with the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test. RESULTS: Eyes implanted with blue-light filtering IOLs showed similar contrast sensitivity to that in fellow eyes implanted with non-yellow-tinted IOLs (P>.1). Both types of IOLs showed normal contrast sensitivity values (normalized log-contrast sensitivity about 1.0). There were no statistically significant differences in chromatic discrimination between the 2 types of IOLs (P = .56). CONCLUSION: The use of blue-light filtering IOLs is more advisable because they are capable of protecting the retina against ultraviolet light without disturbance of contrast sensitivity and chromatic vision, which produces subjective impairment in visual function.