High-cylinder toric IOL better for high astigmatism

Cataract patients who have astigmatism of greater than 2.5 D are likely to benefit more from the implantation of a high-cylinder toric intraocular lens (IOL) than from the implantation of a low-cylinder toric IOL combined with limbal relaxing incision (LRI), according to research conducted at the Ouchi Eye Clinic and Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Fifty-seven eyes in 47 patients were studied. All of the eyes had preexisting corneal astigmatism of 2.5 D or greater. The eyes were divided into two treatment groups: One group (24 eyes) had a high-cylinder toric IOL (Alcon AcrySof IQ Toric T6, T7, T8 or T9) implanted. The other group (33 eyes) received the combination procedure of implantation of a low-cylinder toric IOL (Alcon Acrysof IQ Toric T5) and LRI. All of the procedures were performed by a single surgeon.

At 1 day postoperatively, patients in the group who received the high cylinder toric IOL had significantly better uncorrected visual acuity and significantly less manifest cylinder and refractive cylinder than patients who received the combination of a low-cylinder toric IOL and LRI. However, there was no significant difference in those parameters at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. The patients who received the combination low-cylinder IOL and LRI had significantly greater postoperative corneal and ocular higher-order aberrations.

"The findings of this study show that for the treatment of cataract patients with a high amount of astigmatism greater than 2.5 D, AcrySof IQ Toric T6, T7, T8 and T9 implantation can achieve better clinical outcomes, especially in the early postoperative period, than the combined procedure of AcrySof IQ Toric T5 implantation and LRI," the researcher reports.

The download the entire study, visit Clinical Ophthalmology.