The Potential Acuity Meter to Predict Postoperative Visual Acuity after Cataract Surgery

ABSTRACT

The potential acuity meter(PAM) has been reported to be a useful instrument for predicting postoperative visual acuity after cataract extraction surgery. Forty nine eyes were tested with PAM before surgery, and the best postopertive visual acuity was obtained. The PAM accurately predicted the postoperative visual acuity to within three lines in 90.0% of the cases. When the test is in error, the tendency is for the PAM to underestimate the final acuity rather than to overestimate. Especially under undilated pupil, in dense cataracts (<20/200),and,in posterior subcapsular and cortical cataracts, the PAM tends to underestimate further.