Optical performance of 3 intraocular lens designs in the presence of decentration.
PURPOSE: To study the theoretical optical performance of 3 intraocular lens (IOL) designs in the presence of IOL decentration. SETTING: Optics Center, Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, New York, USA. METHODS: A ray-tracing program was used to evaluate the effect of IOL decentration on the optical performance of 3 silicone IOLs (LI61U, Bausch & Lomb; Tecnis Z9000, Advanced Medical Optics; and a new aberration-free IOL [SofPort AO, Bausch & Lomb]) in an experimental model eye. The study was done using pupil diameters of 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, and 5.0 mm and IOL decentrations of 0 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.50 mm, 0.75 mm, and 1.00 mm. The modulation transfer functions were computed and plotted. A Monte Carlo simulation analysis with 1000 trials with IOL decentration randomly varying for each pupil size was performed. RESULTS: Decentration of LI61U and Tecnis Z9000 IOLs led to asymmetrical higher-order aberrations that adversely affected the optical performance of the model eye; performance was not affected with the aberration-free IOL because it lacks inherent spherical aberration. Optical performance with the aberration-free IOL was better than with the LI61U IOL as the former has less spherical aberration and did not introduce other aberrations when decentered. Performance with the aberration-free IOL was better than with the Tecnis Z9000 IOL for 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, and 5.0 mm pupils when decentration exceeded 0.15 mm, 0.30 mm, and 0.38 mm, respectively. Performance with the LI61U IOL was better than with the Tecnis Z9000 IOL for 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, and 5.0 mm pupils when decentration exceeded 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.5 mm, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations showed the expected postoperative results of the LI61U IOL and aberration-free IOL would be repeatable and predictable, whereas the outcomes with the Tecnis Z9000 IOL would vary widely. CONCLUSIONS: The optical performance of the model eye was not affected by decentration of an aspheric IOL designed to have no inherent spherical aberration. With decentration, the performance with the new IOL was better than with a conventional spherical IOL and an aspheric IOL designed to offset the spherical aberration of an average cornea.