Intraocular lens orientation and pseudophakic negative dysphotopsia

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Intraocular lens orientation and pseudophakic negative dysphotopsia. A randomised controlled trial.

• IRAS ID

  197141

• Contact name

  Jonathan Luck

• Sponsor organisation

  Royal United Hospital

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Negative dysphotopsia is the leading cause of dissatisfaction following uneventful cataract surgery. It describes a visual phenomenon following cataract surgery in which the patient perceives a dark shadow in their vision. It can occur in 15.2% of patients on the first day after surgery, and reduces to 3.2% after one year.

  There are reports of successful surgical management of persistent cases of negative dysphotopsia, however, an effective preventative measure would negate the need for complicated secondary surgery. New intraocular lenses (IOLs) have been developed that reportedly reduce the incidence of negative dysphotopsia, though these are costly and only available in the private sector. There is anecdotal evidence that simply orientating the IOL horizontally substantially reduces the incidence of negative dysphotopsia, though there has been no formal investigation to date. This study tests the hypothesis that negative dysphotopsia occurs less frequently with horizontal IOL orientation compared with vertical orientation.

  All patients undergoing routine cataract surgery will be eligible and it will be carried out in a single centre over a period of 1 year. The participants will be randomised to either the horizontal or vertical groups with half the participants in each group. This study will be the first formal investigation of the relationship between IOL orientation and incidence of negative dysphotopsia. It has the potential to provide evidence for a risk-free and cost-free solution to a growing problem.

• REC name

  South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/SW/0212

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Oct 2016

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion