PURPOSE: To evaluate the chromatic aberration of the eyes with a poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) intraocular lens or a soft acrylic intraocular lens (AcrySof), by comparing them with normal eyes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) of the eye was measured by a modified chromoretinoscopy of Bobier & Sivak, for 48 eyes with a PMMA intraocular lens, 49 eyes with an AcrySof, and 27 eyes with a normal lens. In addition, these LCAs were calculated theoretically by the paraxial ray-tracing technique with a personal computer. RESULTS: The average values of the LCA between the wavelengths of 500 nm and 640 nm were 0.75 +/- 0.18 D (mean +/- standard deviation) in PMMA eyes, 1.20 +/- 0.22 D in AcrySof eyes, and 0.82 +/- 0.16 D in normal eyes. The calculated LCA was 0.64 D in the PMMA eye, 0.98 D in the AcrySof eye, and 0.74 D in the normal eye (Gullstrand's thematic eye). CONCLUSION: The PMMA eyes had chromatic aberrations almost equal to those of the normal eyes, whereas the AcrySof eyes have significantly larger aberrations. Therefore, we conclude that quality of the retinal image is reduced in eyes with an AcrySof lens.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the chromatic aberration of the eyes with a poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) intraocular lens or a soft acrylic intraocular lens (AcrySof), by comparing them with normal eyes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) of the eye was measured by a modified chromoretinoscopy of Bobier & Sivak, for 48 eyes with a PMMAintraocular lens, 49 eyes with an AcrySof, and 27 eyes with a normal lens. In addition, these LCAs were calculated theoretically by the paraxial ray-tracing technique with a personal computer. RESULTS: The average values of the LCA between the wavelengths of 500 nm and 640 nm were 0.75 +/- 0.18 D (mean +/- standard deviation) in PMMA eyes, 1.20 +/- 0.22 D in AcrySof eyes, and 0.82 +/- 0.16 D in normal eyes. The calculated LCA was 0.64 D in the PMMA eye, 0.98 D in the AcrySof eye, and 0.74 D in the normal eye (Gullstrand's thematic eye). CONCLUSION: The PMMA eyes had chromatic aberrations almost equal to those of the normal eyes, whereas the AcrySof eyes have significantly larger aberrations. Therefore, we conclude that quality of the retinal image is reduced in eyes with an AcrySof lens.