[Binocular problems caused by aniseikonia and anisophoria after cataract operation]

Cataract and refractive surgery aiming at emmetropia, runs the risk to induce binocular problems, e.g. asthenopia or diplopia. If the compatibility concerning binocularity is solely estimated by the calculation of the difference of the retinal image sizes, using intraocular lens formulas or so-called "aniseikonia-programs", important physiological facts are not considered. The actual amount of the aniseikonia, this is the difference of the image size which the patient perceives subjectively, depends on 3 parameters: 1. the optically induced difference of the retinal image size, 2. the spatial density of the retinal photoreceptors and the size of the receptive fields, 3. a possibly existing anomalous retinal correspondence for different retinal image sizes. Besides aniseikonia, the induction of postoperative anisophoria by the required spectacle correction is a considerable aspect. Aniseikonia and anisophoria can cause fusional problems or diplopia because of the mentioned parameters and/or disparity of the retinal images.

Cataract surgery should reduce a monolateral high myopia, aiming emmetropia, in axial anisometropia. This resulted in one exemplary case in high aniseikonia with complaints, while in other, comparable patients only a small amount of aniseikonia could be measured by haploscopy. This preoperative refractive situation is comparable to refractive surgery. In a second case with symmetrical myopia of -4 D, binocular problems with diplopia and asthenopia were induced after monolateral cataract surgery by the combination of a moderate aniseikonia and anisophoria.

To predict the actual postoperative aniseikonia it is necessary for the patient to wear a contact lens preoperatively for a short time to measure the aniseikonia by haploscopy, particularly prior to refractive surgery in axial length ametropia. Due to the different sizes of the receptive fields of the retina, different postoperative aniseikonias may result in spite of similar axial length anisometropia. The individual tolerance of an adult for a postoperatively created anisophoria is hardly predictable. It is obvious that the fusional stress ensued from aniseikonia and anisophoria adds or multiplies. In contrast to horizontal eye movements, vertical eye movements can hardly be compensated by head movements, as the use of bi- or multifocals requires a down gaze of about 30 degrees. Here a height-balance-prism could help.