A Pilot Study To Determine If Intraocular Lens Choice At The Time Of Cataract Surgery Has An Impact On Patient-Reported Driving Habits

Beiko GH.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine if intraocular lens (IOL) choice at the time of cataract surgery affects driving habits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pseudophakes who were 28-35 months postbilateral cataract surgery with one of two contemporary one-piece hydrophobic acrylic IOLs (SN60WF or ZCB00) were asked to complete the Driving Habits Questionnaire, a validated instrument for determining self-reported driving status, frequency, and difficulty. To determine if there were any differences in driving habits between the two groups, t-tests and χ (2) tests were used.

RESULTS: Of 90 respondents, 72 (40 SN60WF and 32 ZCB00) were still active drivers. The SN60WF-implanted subjects were less likely to drive at the same speed or faster than the general flow of traffic, less likely to rate their quality of driving as average/above average, less likely to have traveled beyond their immediate neighborhood, less likely to drive at night, more likely to have moderate-to-severe difficulty driving at night, and more likely to have self-reported road traffic accidents. The differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION: Changes in patients' driving habits 2-3 years after cataract surgery may be associated with the type of IOL implanted. A larger study, powered to demonstrate statistical significance, is needed to verify the trends identified in this pilot study and discover possible contributing factors.

Clin Ophthalmol. 2015 Aug 28;9:1573-9. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S90886. eCollection 2015.

PMID: 26357458 PMCID: PMC4559235