Comparison of Contrast Sensitivity with ACV (Visual Capacity Analyzer) in Different Types of Posterior Capsular Opacification

PURPOSE: To compare contrast sensitivity (CS) in type and degree of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in pseudophakic eyes before and after neodymium: YAG capsulotomy. METHODS: Nine eyes with fibrosis-type PCO and 26 with Elschnig-pearl type PCO were examined for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and CS before and 1 week after capsulotomy. CS was tested with visual capacity analyzer (ACV) which uses a Landolt ring of 5 different spatial frequencies (SF) under two different conditions of day (100cd/m2) and night (30cd/m2). The patients were divided into two groups based on the BCVA before capsulotomy: Group A, 4 eyes and 18 eyes with below 0.63 in fibrosis-type and pearls-type PCO, respectively; Group B, 5 eyes and 8 eyes with above 0.63 in fibrosis-type and pearls-type PCO, respectively. RESULTS: The patients with PCO had worse BCVA and CS, but these were improved by Nd: YAG capsulotomy. This was not affected by the types and degrees of PCO. In the daytime condition, CS of B group was worse at all SF in patients with pearl-type PCO than in those with fibrosis-type PCO before capsulotomy, except 19 cpd (p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the daytime condition, the patients with pearls-type PCO of relatively poor BCVA had lower CS than those with fibrosis-type PCO.

A Study of Factors Influencing After Cataract Development

PURPOSE: This study was performed in order to elucidate how the patient s age at cataract operation, coexisting systemic or other ocular diseases, cataract operation methods, and implanted intraocular lenses(IOLs) are associated with the after-cataract development. METHODS: The sixty-eight patients (87 eyes) which had undergone Nd-YAG capsulotomy at the Kangnam St. Mary s Hospital were studied with chart review retrospectively. All the cases had phacoemulsification, continous curvilinear capsulorhexis(CCC), and posterior chamber IOL implantation in the capsular bag. RESULTS: With regard to patient s age factor at cataract operation, the older patient, the more slowly did after-cataract develop. There is less development of after-cataracts that have no contact between anterior capsulectomy site and posterior capsule (36 eyes,41%) than have any contact (51 eyes, 59%). After-cataracts could be classified into Elschnig pearl type (51 eyes, 59%) and fibrous type (36 eyes, 41%), and fibrous type is especially few in those having no contact between anterior capsulectomy site and posterior capsule (P=0.0303). Foldable IOLs (including silicone, acrylic) have more fibrous type after-cataract (16 eyes of 29 eyes), on the contrary, polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) IOLs have more Elschnig pearl type after-cataract. CONCLUSION: Through this study, we understand that patient s age and contact between anterior capsulectomy site and posterior capsule are the factors which can influence after-cataract development and type. However, there is no statistically significant difference between IOL and after-cataract type (P=0.0647).