Skip to main content

  • Blue-light filtering IOLs do not prevent neovascular AMD

    Cataract/Anterior Segment, Retina/Vitreous

    Add to My Bookmarks

    Review of: The effect of blue-light filtering intraocular lenses on the development and progression of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

    Achiron A, Elbaz U, Hecht I, et al. Ophthalmology, March 2021

    This registry-based cohort study analyzed the impact of blue-light filtering (BLF) IOLs on the prevention of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after cataract surgery.

    Study design

    Investigators analyzed 11,397 eyes that underwent uneventful cataract surgery between 2007 and 2018 at a single center in Finland. The IOL type was assigned at the discretion of the surgeon.

    Outcomes

    Blue-light filtering IOLs showed no advantage over non-BLF IOLs for preventing the incidence or progression of wet AMD. Similarly, BLF IOLs did not offer an advantage in clinical outcomes of best corrected visual acuity, foveal thickness, treatment interval or number of injections.

    Limitations

    The retrospective nature as well as the use of registry-based data are inherent limitations of this study. Allocation to IOL type was not randomized. This may have led to other confounders such as size and number of drusen, smoking status and sunlight exposure. In respect to sunlight, exposure is limited in Finland and thus may affect generalization of this study to populations living in warmer climates. Another limitation of this study is the difference in range of follow-up between the 2 groups. Finally, the effect of BLF IOLs on geographic atrophy and drusen was not assessed.

    Clinical significance

    This real-world study is the largest cohort in the literature with a relatively long follow-up of more than 4 years. Although BLF IOLs have been reported to have other advantages, patients and cataract surgeons should understand that BLF IOLs do not decrease the incidence and progression of neovascular AMD.