Blue Light Filtering Intraocular lenses do not reduce risk of all-cause injuries: JAMA

A new investigation reveals that there was no reduced risk of injuries with Blue light filtering Intraocular lenses and also glare during nighttime driving was significantly worse in this group with pseudophakia. The study was published in JAMA Network Open. 

Blue light–filtering (BLF) intraocular lenses (IOLs) have been immensely used for more than 20 years. They have been implanted in several patients with cataracts throughout the world. However, there is meager evidence of the association of BLF IOLs with injuries. Hence researchers conducted a study to assess the association of BLF IOLs with all-cause and traffic accident-related injuries and quality of vision while driving after bilateral cataract surgery. A retrospective registry-based cohort study was done on patients who underwent bilateral cataract surgery at the Department of Ophthalmology, Kymenlaakso Central Hospital, Kotka, Finland from September 3, 2007, through December 14, 2018, and was followed until December 14, 2021. 

There were 4986 participants, of which 2609 received non-BLF IOLs and 2377 received BLF IOLs in both eyes.102 with non-BLF IOLs and 91 with BLF IOLs patients who underwent bilateral surgery between 2015 to 2016 and currently driving a car were interviewed using a structured questionnaire for visual performance while driving. They were followed up for a mean (SD) of 2166 (1110) days after the second eye surgery. The risk of all-cause and traffic accident-related injuries after surgery in the second eye obtained from the patient medical records were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Death and the end of the follow-up were used as censoring events to improve the follow-up precision. 

Results: 

• A total of 4986 patients were included in the analysis which had 1707 men and 3279 women with a mean age of 73.2 years at the first surgery and 74.3 years at the second.
• Injury-free survival rates preceding the first eye surgery were comparable between the non-BLF and BLF IOL groups.
• The use of BLF IOLs showed no advantage in overall injuries compared with the use of non-BLF IOLs or in any injury subtype in multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis controlling for age and sex.
• Subjective visual performance parameters for driving were all comparable between the non-BLF and BLF IOL groups except for glare when driving in the dark (evening or night), which occurred among 9 of 80 patients with BLF IOLs compared with 0 of 83 non-BLF IOLs. 

Thus, the researchers concluded from this study that the use of BLF IOLs was not associated with a reduced risk of injuries, whereas glare during nighttime driving was significantly worse in the BLF IOL group with pseudophakia.

To read the full article, click here: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27232

Kanclerz P, Hecht I, Cunha M, Knyazer B, Laine I, Tuuminen R. Association of Blue Light–Filtering Intraocular Lenses With All-Cause and Traffic Accident–Related Injuries Among Patients Undergoing Bilateral Cataract Surgery in Finland. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(8):e2227232. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27232