Pilot study of new focus-shift accommodating intraocular lens

Purpose: To determine the visual and accommodative performance of the OPAL-A focus-shift accommodating intraocular lens (IOL).

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom.

Methods: In this study comprising unilateral phacoemulsification and accommodating IOL implantation, patients were followed for 6 months. Corrected distance (CDVA) and distance-corrected near (DCNVA) visual acuities were measured. Objective amplitude of accommodation was measured with an autorefractor and subjective amplitude of accommodation, using push-up tests and defocus curves. Physiological and pilocarpine-stimulated IOL movement was measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Results: The mean values at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively, were as follows: CDVA, -0.06 +/- 0.08 (SD), -0.08 +/- 0.09, and -0.05 +/- 0.09; DCNVA, 0.31 +/- 0.15, 0.31 +/- 0.15, and 0.34 +/- 0.16; objective amplitude of accommodation, 0.36 +/- 0.38 diopters (D), 0.12 +/- 0.34 D, and 0.10 +/- 0.34 D; subjective amplitude of accommodation, 2.79 +/- 0.86 D, 2.55 +/- 0.85 D, and 2.50 +/- 0.62 D with push-up test and 0.90 +/- 0.40 D, 0.78 +/- 0.23 D, and 0.93 +/- 0.35 D with defocus curves. The maximum physiologic IOL shift at 1 month (mean 45.2 +/- 63.4 microm) occurred with a 3.0 D accommodative stimulus. At 6 months, the mean pilocarpine-stimulated forward IOL shift was 306 +/- 161 microm.

Conclusions: Objective accommodation and forward axial shift were clinically insignificant with the accommodating IOL. The near visual performance was attributed to depth of focus rather than to true pseudophakic accommodation.