Abstract
BackgroundCataract patients were always excluded from studies on ageing of colour vision; thus, effect of age-related cataracts on deterioration of colour perception has not been analysed. In present study, impacts of age-related cataracts on colour discrimination, postoperative recovery and related spectra were investigated.MethodsIn this cohort study, thirty age-related cataract patients scheduled for binocular surgery and 30 elderly volunteers were enrolled. Colour discrimination under photopic (1000 lx) and mesopic (40 lx) conditions was evaluated with Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test. The total error score (TES) and partial error score (PES) were calculated.ResultsPreoperatively, the TES in the patient group was 129.7 ± 59.5 at 1000 lx and 194.6 ± 74.5 at 40 lx, exhibiting worse discrimination than the volunteer group (TES1000lux = 71.5 ± 37.5 and TES40lux = 113.1 ± 38.8, p ≤ 0.001). Inferior perception were detected in the yellow to green-yellow (Y-GY), green-yellow to green (GY-G), green to blue-green (G-BG) and blue-green to blue (BG-B) colour bands (p ≤ 0.003), corresponding to the 470 nm–580 nm range of the visible light spectrum. Under mesopic conditions, the impact expanded to all colour bands except for yellow-red to yellow (YR-Y). Postoperatively, the TES in the patient group were 80.4 ± 62.4 at 1000 lx and 112.0 ± 85.2 at 40 lx, which were lower than those of the preoperative phase (p ≤ 0.001) but similar to those of the volunteer group (p ≥ 0.505). Postoperative improvement occurred in the Y-GY, GY-G and G-BG colour bands (490 nm to 580 nm) at 1000 lx (p ≤ 0.001) and shifted to the Y-GY, GY-G, G-BG and BG-B colour bands (470 nm to 580 nm) at 40 lx (p ≤ 0.001). Deterioration of hue perception for decrement of illumination was detected in the red to yellow-red (R-YR), Y-GY, G-BG, BG-B, blue to purple-blue (B-PB) and red-purple to red (RP-R) colour bands (450 nm to 500 nm) in the volunteer group (p ≤ 0.002) and the R-YR, G-BG, BG-B, B-PB, PB-P and red-purple to red (RP-R) colour bands (from the short-wavelength end to 500 nm) in the patient group preoperatively (p ≤ 0.001).ConclusionsPhacoemulsification could effectively rebuild colour perception in patients with age-related cataract. The postoperative benefits were most significant in colour bands corresponding with spectrum from 470 nm to 580 nm.
Highlights
Cataract patients were always excluded from studies on ageing of colour vision; effect of agerelated cataracts on deterioration of colour perception has not been analysed
Our findings suggested that lens opacity and postoperative benefits on colour vision were most significant in colour bands corresponding to light wavelengths from 470 nm to 580 nm
Preoperative corrected distant visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.39 ± 0.17 for the right eye and 0.42 ± 0.20 for the left eye, which was comparable between the two eyes (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, p = 0.261)
Summary
Cataract patients were always excluded from studies on ageing of colour vision; effect of agerelated cataracts on deterioration of colour perception has not been analysed. Based on electrophysiological measurements [8, 9] and psychophysical tasks [6, 10,11,12,13,14,15], investigators have confirmed that due to ageing, colour discrimination primarily declined along the yellow-blue axis. In these studies, elderly individuals with cataracts were excluded because cataracts severely reduce contrast in retinal images, thereby affecting colour constancy prerequisites [16,17,18]. Intensive research on colour discrimination before and after cataract surgery is essential to current knowledge about colour perception and will provide valuable insight on the effects of ageing on colour vision
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