Improvement of functional visual acuity after cataract surgery in patients with good pre- and postoperative spectacle-corrected visual acuity

Abstract

Purpose: To report the changes in functional visual acuity in cataract surgery patients with good pre- and postoperative visual acuity.

Methods: Functional visual acuity was evaluated in 13 eyes of 10 patients before and 1 month after phacoemulsification with implantation of acrylic intraocular lenses. Pre- and postoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuities (BSCVA) were better than 20/25 in all patients. Low contrast visual acuity and Schirmer tests were also performed before and after surgery.

Results: Mean pre- and postoperative logMAR BSCVA were -0.02 +/- 0.06 and -0.05 +/- 0.04, respectively (P > .05). Mean preoperative logMAR functional visual acuity improved from 0.29 +/- 0.17 to 0.092 +/- 0.13 postoperatively (P < .05). The visual maintenance ratio in functional visual acuity and low contrast visual acuity also improved significantly after cataract surgery (P < .05).

Conclusions: Measurement of functional visual acuity seems to be useful in the evaluation of timing of surgery, visual quality, and changes in kinetic vision after phacoemulsification surgery.