High and Low Contrast Visual Acuity After Artiflex Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation for the Correction of Myopia

Abstract

To determine the effects of Artiflex phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) implantation on best spectacle-corrected high and low contrast visual acuity under photopic and mesopic conditions. Forty-two consecutive eyes had implantation of a foldable iris-supported PIOL to correct myopia. The mean preoperative spherical equivalent refraction was -7.26+/-1.91 diopters (D) (range: -4.90 to -13.60 D). The high (100%) and low (2.5%) contrast visual acuity with best spectacle correction was tested with translucent logarithmic visual acuity charts (Precision Vision) under photopic and mesopic conditions. At mean 7.6+/-5.4 months after PIOL implantation, the mean high and low contrast visual acuity under photopic and mesopic conditions had significantly increased from preoperatively: photopic high contrast visual acuity from -0.07+/-0.11 logMAR to -0.14+/-0.08 logMAR (P<.001); photopic low contrast visual acuity from 0.48+/-0.14 logMAR to 0.36+/-0.11 logMAR (P=.011); mesopic high contrast visual acuity from -0.09+/-0.09 logMAR to -0.16+/-0.08 logMAR (P<.001); and mesopic low contrast visual acuity from 0.50+/-0.13 logMAR to 0.33+/-0.10 logMAR (P<.001). Mean postoperative spherical equivalent refraction was -0.21+/-0.28 D (range: +0.50 to -0.75 D). Of all eyes, 91.9% were within 0.50 D of attempted correction, and 67% gained 1 or more lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA). No eye lost 2 or more lines of BSCVA. Artiflex PIOL implantation for the correction of moderate to high myopia seems to be a safe and predictable procedure, which resulted in increased high and low contrast visual acuity under photopic and mesopic conditions.