Purpose: To compare differences in anterior (ACO) and posterior (PCO) capsule opacification and subjective glare between 2 acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs): AcrySof MA30BA (Alcon) and Sensar AR40 (Allergan).
Setting: Department of Ophthalmology and Neurosurgery, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Methods: This retrospective study comprised 100 cataract patients who had phacoemulsification and IOL implantation. Fifty eyes of 50 patients received an MA30BA and 50 eyes of 50 patients, an AR40. The mean postoperative follow-up was 25 months (range 20 to 31 months) and 22 months (range 19 to 29 months), respectively. Examiners subjectively evaluated ACO, and a photographic image-analysis system was used to assess PCO. All patients received a questionnaire to evaluate the incidence of subjective photic phenomena.
Results: In the MA30BA group, 60% had no ACO, 19% had mild ACO, and 21% had anterior capsule fibrosis. In the AR40 group, 55% had no ACO, 27% had mild ACO, and 18% had anterior capsule fibrosis. In the MA30BA group, the mean PCO score measured by image-analysis was 0.043 (range 0.000 to 0.084) at 1 year and 0.125 (range 0.000 to 0.197) at 2 years and in the AR40 group, 0.071 (range 0.000 to 0.157) and 0.230 (range 0.091 to 0.628), respectively. Although the ACO percentages and the PCO scores at 1 year were not statistically different between the 2 groups (P >.05), the MA30BA group had statistically less PCO at 2 years (P <.05). In the MA30BA group, 36 patients had trouble reading in a dim environment, 25 had difficulty driving at night, 25 were mildly bothered by the lights of other vehicles, and 17 saw halos when looking at the lights of other vehicles and 17, when looking at lights at night. In the AR40 group, 7 patients had trouble reading in a dim environment and 11 had difficulty driving at night. At 6 months, the AR40 group had a statistically significantly lower incidence of photic phenomena than the MA30BA group (P <.05). In the MA30BA group 1 year after surgery, 13 patients had trouble reading in a dim environment and 12 had difficulty driving at night. In the AR40 group, 5 patients had trouble reading in a dim environment and 8 had difficulty driving at night. One year after surgery, the difference between the 2 groups in photic phenomena was not statistically significant (P >.05).
Conclusions: The findings indicate that the AcrySof MA30BA has a lower incidence of PCO than the Sensar AR40. The AR40 IOL induced less glare; however, the glare phenomena did not disturb those with an MA30BA lens and the symptoms decreased by 1 year after surgery. These results suggest that both optic design and haptic material influence postoperative clinical results.