title: Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in different types of posterior capsule opacification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity in 2 types of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in pseudophakic eyes before and after neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) capsulotomy and to evaluate vision test results after Nd:YAG capsulotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen eyes with fibrosis-type PCO and 15 eyes with Elschnig-pearl-type PCO were enrolled prospectively. Before and 1 week after Nd:YAG capsulotomy, VA and contrast sensitivity were assessed using the illiterate E version of the Bailey-Lovie chart and the Vistech VCTS 6000 chart, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before capsulotomy, the mean logMAR acuity in the group with Elschnig-pearl-type PCO was 0.47 +/- 0.32 (SD) and in the group with fibrosis-type PCO, 0.17 +/- 0.07. The difference between the 2 groups was significant (P =.002). After capsulotomy, there was no significant between-group difference (P >.05). Before capsulotomy, the contrast sensitivity was significantly worse (P <.01) at all spatial frequencies in the group with pearl-type PCO, especially at 6 cycles per degree. After capsulotomy, there was no significant between-group difference (P >.05) at any spatial frequency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After cataract surgery, patients with pearl-type PCO had lower VA and contrast sensitivity than those with fibrosis-type PCO. An Nd:YAG capsulotomy improved the VA and contrast sensitivity in patients with both types of PCO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, 201 Sec. Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 11217, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*