The relationship between cataract type and glare disability as measured by the Miller-Nadler glare tester

Cataract patients were tested for glare disability using the Miller-Nadler glare tester. Predicted outdoor visual acuity was then compared with the actual outdoor visual acuity. The Miller-Nadler glare test scores predicted actual outdoor visual impairment to within one Snellen line in 46.7% of the eyes, underestimated actual outdoor visual impairment by more than one Snellen line in 31.5% of the eyes, and overestimated outdoor visual impairment by more than one Snellen line in 21.7% of the eyes. Overall, 64.1% of the eyes had outdoor vision which was more closely predicted by their glare scores than by their indoor Snellen acuity. When the cataractous eyes were divided into three categories, eyes with pure nuclear sclerosis, eyes with nuclear sclerosis and posterior subcapsular opacities, and eyes with all other cataractous combinations, predictability differences were observed. Although we found that actual outdoor visual acuities were not precisely predicted by disability glare scores in a substantial proportion of our subjects, the glare scores were considerably more predictive than indoor Snellen acuity. Further development and field testing of glare testing devices as predictors of outdoor visual impairment is necessary.