UCLA

Purpose

To develop a questionnaire with standardized questions and images about visual symptoms and satisfaction administered before and after cataract surgery with monofocal and various (premium) intraocular lenses (IOLs).

Design

A prospective, observational study of cataract surgery patients completing a self-administered questionnaire preoperatively and postoperatively at 4 to 6 months.

Participants

Five hundred fifty-four patients with plans to undergo implantation of the same IOL in both eyes on separate occasions in 20 ophthalmology practices.

Methods

An 86-item questionnaire with standardized images assessed the following 14 symptoms: glare, blurry vision, starbursts, hazy vision, snowballs, halos, floaters, double images, rings and spider webs, light flashes with eyes closed, distortion, light flashes with eyes open, shimmering images, and dark crescent-shaped shadows.

Main outcome measures

Symptom severity and level of symptom bother, satisfaction with vision, quality of vision, and ability to see without corrective lenses or eyeglasses.

Results

Except for dark crescent-shaped shadows, the report of visual symptoms significantly decreased postoperatively. Best uncorrected binocular visual acuity improved from 0.47 (20/59 Snellen visual acuity values) ± 0.35 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) preoperatively to 0.12 (20/26 Snellen visual acuity values) ± 0.12 logMAR postoperatively. Patients' ratings of intermediate vision as good to excellent improved significantly from 12% preoperatively to 71% postoperatively, and patients' ratings of distance vision improved from 8% preoperatively to 85% postoperatively. After surgery, 84% reported that they were somewhat, very, or completely satisfied with their vision. Most patients (88%) reported that they could see pretty well, very well, or perfectly well without corrective lenses after surgery.

Conclusions

The Assessment of IntraOcular Lens Implant Symptoms questionnaire can be used across a wide variety of IOLs to evaluate visual symptoms and satisfaction with a growing segment of the market, premium IOLs, that target intermediate and near vision, in addition to distance vision. Compared to patients receiving monofocal IOLs, patients receiving premium IOLs appear to be more challenging to satisfy because of their requirements for distance, intermediate, and near vision, and their desire to be free of eyeglasses postoperatively. This instrument provides a structured, uniform tool for regulators, researchers, and ophthalmologists in everyday practice to gain insights into patients' experiences.

Financial disclosure(s)

The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.