Visualization of IOL Material-Induced Changes in Retinal Color Stimulus

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optics
• Visual Perception

Background:

• Intraocular lenses (IOLs) vary in material and spectral transmittance, particularly those with blue-light filtering capabilities.
• These differences can objectively alter color stimuli reaching the retina, potentially impacting subjective color perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively determine the spectral transmittance characteristics of different IOL materials.
• To develop and present a method for visualizing the resultant changes in color stimulus caused by IOLs.

Main Methods:

• A setup was created to measure IOL absorption across the 390-780 nm spectrum.
• An algorithm was developed to convert RGB image pixels to spectra, apply IOL transmittance correction, and reconstruct the image to visualize color changes.

Main Results:

• The evaluation pipeline was validated using reference images.
• Transmittance spectra revealed significant material- and manufacturer-specific differences.
• These differences can cause substantial changes in color perception, especially for blue hues and mixed colors containing blue.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique effectively quantifies IOL transmittance and its effect on retinal color stimulation.
• This visualization method highlights potential causes for altered color perception reported post-cataract surgery.