Spherical Aberration of Cataractous Eyes and Its Relationship With Age, Ocular Biometry, and Various IOL Platforms

To determine the median spherical aberration (SA) of the cataractous population, how it relates to biometry, and the theoretical effect of different intraocular lens (IOL) platforms.

A retrospective chart review of patients undergoing cataract surgery evaluation with a high quality Pentacam (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH) were included. Age, gender, Q-value, mean total SA, higher order aberration root mean square wavefront error, and equivalent keratometry were collected from the Holladay report and axial length and anterior chamber depth (ACD) from the IOLMaster 700 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG).

Data from 1,725 eyes of 999 patients were collected. SA had a median of 0.37 µm (95% confidence interval: 0.36 to 0.38. Age (r = .136, P < .001), Q-factor (r = .743, P < .001), and higher order aberration root mean square wavefront error (r = .307, P < .001) were positively correlated with SA. Average equivalent keratometry (r = -.310, P < .001) was negatively correlated with SA. Axial length (r = -0.037, P = .120) and ACD (r = .004, P = .856) had no association with SA. Up to 1,499 (86.9%) theoretically had SA moved closer to zero with IOLs that had negative SA. Up to 102 (5.9%) had SA theoretically worsened.

SA is not normally distributed, suggesting that there may be no "average" SA that IOLs should aim to correct. Patients might benefit from tailoring IOL choice to individual SA. Without access to SA data, eyes with steeper average keratometry or younger patients may have less SA, which could influence IOL choice. [.