THE ROLE OF GLARE AND LIGHT SCATTER IN THE DEGRADATION OF VISUAL PERFORMANCE BEFORE AND AFTER ND-YAG CAPSULOTOMY - A COMPARISON OF SMALL AND LARGE-SIZE CAPSULOTOMIES

Aim of the study The aim of this study was to determine whether capsulotomy size influences visual performance. Patients and methods Twenty eyes were included in this study and were divided into two groups: 10 eyes had small central capsulotomies without dilating the pupil, and 10 eyes had large capsulotomies through dilated pupils. We measured both, visual acuity and glare due to forward light scatter using a computer system. Results Following treatment both groups had equally significant (<0.01) improvements in visual acuity. However, a significant (p<0.001) improvement of glare due to for ward light scatter was only observed in the eyes with a large size capsulotomy. Conclusions Our study showed that measurements of forward light scatter are more sensitive than visual acuity testing in demonstrating loss of visual performance in patients with media opacities. It is recommended that pupils are dilated prior to Nd:YAG capsulotomy if forward light scatter from capsule remnants and the subsequent glare disability are to be minimised.