Improving the Second-Eye Refractive Error in Patients Undergoing Bilateral Sequential Cataract Surgery

Purpose: To assess the refractive error in the second eye to undergo surgery when the intraocular lens (IOL) power was modified to correct 50% of the error from the first eye when such an error exceeded 0.50 diopter (D). Design: Prospective, observational case series. Participants: Two hundred fifty patients with bilateral, sequential cataract surgery. Methods: Two hundred fifty consecutive patients who underwent the first-eye cataract operation 1 to 3 months earlier were scheduled for cataract surgery in the second eye. When choosing the IOL power for the second eye, the calculations were adjusted to correct 50% of the first-eye refractive error (FERE). The adjusted second-eye refractive error (aSERE) was evaluated 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. It was compared with the FERE, with a potential nonadjusted SERE, and with a potential fully adjusted SERE. Main Outcome Measures: Postoperative refractive error. Results: The median aSERE was significantly lower in the second eye compared with the median FERE in the 47 cases in which the FERE ranged from -0.50 to -1.00 D (-0.12 vs. -0.66 D), in the 15 cases in which the FERE exceeded -1.00 D (-0.12 vs. -1.25 D), in the 24 cases in which the FERE ranged from 0.50 to 1.00 D (-0.03 vs. 0.65 D), and in the 11 cases in which the FERE exceeded 1.00 D (-0.29 vs. 1.19 D). The difference was statistically significant in all categories (P<0.00001). Conclusions: In patients undergoing bilateral sequential cataract surgery and in cases in which the FERE exceeded 0.50 D, the refractive error of the second eye can be improved by modifying the IOL power to correct up to 50% of the error from the first eye. Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. Ophthalmology 2012;119:1097-1101 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.