Decision-making in second-eye cataract surgery: can presence of Pulfrich phenomenon help?

To determine whether testing for the Pulfrich phenomenon (PP) can be used as a tool to assess the need for and optimal timing of second-eye cataract surgery.

A total of 61 patients with logMAR 0 visual acuity (VA) after cataract surgery in one eye and logMAR 0.2-0.7 VA in the other eye were tested for PP using a computer-generated oscillating target at Baskent University Hospital. Only patients who had no ophthalmologic or systemic problem that could cause PP were included. In all, 15 normal patients with logMAR 0 VA in both eyes served as controls. The main outcome measures were presence and magnitude (measured by neutral density filters) of PP and presence of complaints related to binocular vision.

Of the 61 patients, 36 (59%) and none of the controls were PP (+) (P<0.001). A total of 27 (75%) of the PP (+) patients had logMAR 0.7-0.4 VA, and nine (25%) had logMAR 0.3-0.2 VA (P=0.01). In all, 16 patients (all PP (+)) had developed binocular vision-related complaints since cataract surgery. The mean PP magnitude in these cases was significantly greater than the mean for the 20 patients without complaints (1.2+/-0.5 vs0.6+/-0.4 log units, respectively; P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the mean VA in the complaint (+) and complaint (-) subgroups (P=0.213).

PP testing may detect binocular visual dysfunction after first-eye cataract surgery; thus, it could help assess the need for second-eye cataract surgery on this basis.