[Effect of diffractive multi-focal lenses on contrast vision, glare sensitivity and color vision].

BACKGROUND: Due to theoretical considerations an increase in the depth of field of the diffractive IOL may be combined with a reduction in contrast sensitivity, glare sensitivity and colour perception.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comparative analysis of both eyes was performed in ten patients with a diffractive multifocal IOL (3M 815LE) in one eye and a monofocal IOL in the other eye. Contrast sensitivity was examined by computer generated sine wave gratings of 6 different spatial frequencies; visual acuity with glare and glare sensitivity were determined under 7 different levels of field luminance; colour vision was examined using the Farnsworth-Munsell-100-Hue-test.

RESULTS: Contrast sensitivity of the diffractive lens was reduced for intermediate spatial frequencies, but not for low and high frequencies. Visual acuity with glare was only reduced at maximum field luminance; no differences were found in glare sensitivity and colour perception between monofocal and multifocal.

CONCLUSION: Altogether, the diffractive lens did not show a dramatic reduction in the examined visual functions compared with the monofocal IOL.