title: Reduced effect of glare disability on driving performance in patients with blue light-filtering intraocular lenses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of glare on driving performance in patients who had implantation of a blue light-filtering acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) and those who had implantation of an acrylic IOL with no blue-light filter.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Applied Psychology, Arizona State University, Mesa, Arizona, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a blue light-filtering AcrySof Natural SN60AT IOL (study group) and patients with an AcrySof SA60AT IOL with no blue-light filter (control group) who had good visual acuity and a valid driver's license performed left-turn maneuvers in a driving simulator in front of oncoming traffic. The safety margin (time to collision minus time taken to turn at intersection with oncoming traffic) was calculated. The measurements were repeated with a glare source simulating low-angle sun conditions (daytime driving).
  
  
  RESULTS
  With glare, the safety margin was statistically significantly greater in the study group (n = 17) than in the control group (n = 17) (mean 2.534 seconds ± 0.488 [SD] and 2.116 ± 0.511 seconds, respectively) (P < .05). Comparing no-glare conditions and glare conditions, the study group had significantly lower glare susceptibility, fewer collisions with the oncoming car, and a lower impact on intersection approach speed than the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IOL incorporating blue light-filtering technology significantly reduced glare disability and improved the driver's ability to safely execute a left turn with oncoming traffic in the presence of glare simulating low-angle sun conditions. The real-world benefit of this technology is presumably mediated by a stronger signal to detect approaching objects (motion-in-depth) as a result of a reduction in glare disability.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Additional disclosures are found in the footnotes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, Arizona State University, Mesa, Arizona, 85212, USA. robgray@asu.edu
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Rajaraman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suryakumar
authors.forename: Brooke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Neuman
authors.forename: W Andrew
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Maxwell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D019466:Glare; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000503:physiopathology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology