Higher-order Aberrations Of Age-related Cataract

Objective To analyze the higher-order aberrations(HOA) induced by different types of age-related cataract, to evaluate the characteristics of different types of age-related cataract and provide data foudations for the improvement of visual quality after cataract surgery.Methods It was a retrospective case analysis.One hundred sixty-three eyes of 109 patients with age-related cataract were included, age of all the people were 44～81 years old and the average age was 66.45±9.421. Potential acuity better than 0.3 logMAR units(The spherical equivalent refraction was-3.0～+3.0D), excluding other ocular disease or pathology, heavy opacification Tracey wavefront aberrometer can't measure exactly. Crystalline opacities were classified according to the Lens Opacities Classification SystemⅢ(LOCSⅢ) system after the pupils were pharmacologically dilated.Fifty-nine eyes had predominantly cortical cataract, sixty-two had mainly nuclear cataract, forty-two had posterior subcapsular cataract and thirty eyes of thirty normal subjects were measured under 6.0mm pupil size using a ray tracing aberrometry(Tracey wavefront aberrometer). Tracey wavefront system calculated and analyzed 3 order to 6 order 27 Zernike coefficients and root mean squares(RMS),compared the differences between cataract groups and normal group and evaluated the characteristics of different types of age-related cataract.Result For a 6.0mm pupil size, in eyes with predominantly cortical cataract, the root mean square (RMS) of total high-order aberrations was(0.701±0.230)μm,revealed a difference in coma(0.438±0.213)μm and trefoil(0.357±0.203)μm.In higher-order aberrations,except spherical aberration (P=.781),pentafoil (P=.384) and hexafoil (P=.390), coma (P=.000),astigmatism (P=.002),trefoil (P=.002) and tetrafoil (P=.005) have statistical significance.In eyes with predominantly nuclear cataract, the root mean square of total high-order aberrations was (1.101±0.303)μm,revealed a difference in spherical aberration(0.497±0.231)μm and coma (0.466±0.291)μm. In higher-order aberrations,spherical aberration (P=.000),coma (P=.002),astigmatism (P=.003),trefoil (P=.008),tetrafoil (P=.002),pentafoil (P=.006),hexafoil (P=.007)have statistical significance.In eyes with predominantly posterior subcapsular cataract, the root mean square of total high-order aberrations was (0.645±0.261)μm, revealed a difference in trefoil (0.335±0.142)μm and coma (0.294±0.178)μm. In higher-order aberrations,spherical aberration (P=.008),coma (P=.004),astigmatism (P=.000),trefoil (P=.000),tetrafoil (P=.008),pentafoil (P=.003),hexafoil (P=.001) have statistical significance.Conclusion Different types of age-related cataract induced different wavefront aberration profiles. Coma predominated in the cortical cataract group, spherical aberration predominated in the nuclear cataract group, and trefoil predominated in the posterior subcapsular cataract group.The functional limitations of patients with senile cataract have a close relationship with the different level of higher-order aberration change.