Methods: This prospective study comprised 396 uneventful consecutive cataract procedures performed by 1 surgeon from September 2000 to February 2001. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the density and location of the lens opacities were recorded preoperatively. Macular function was assessed preoperatively using a Parinaud test at 12 cm with a hyperaddition of +8.0 diopters and extra illumination. The postoperative BCVA was compared with the results of the macular function test.
Results: Of the 359 eyes (90.7%) that could read the Parinaud 1 line on the preoperative hyperaddition test, 338 (94.2%) attained a final BCVA of 20/25 or better and 356 (99.2%), of 20/30 or better. Twenty-five eyes that could not read Parinaud 1 and presented with a dense nuclear or posterior subcapsular cataract also achieved a BCVA of 20/25 or better. Three eyes could read Parinaud 1 preoperatively but did not attain a BCVA of 20/30 or better postoperatively; 2 of the eyes had macular edema and 1, an opaque posterior capsule.
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that this simple macular function test has a positive predictive value of 94.2% in predicting a visual outcome of 20/25 or better after cataract surgery. The sensitivity was 94.2% and the specificity, 32.4%. The negative predictive value was 32.4% and the positive predictive value for a BCVA of 20/30 or better, 99.2%.
From Clinique Générale St-Jean, Brussels, Belgium
Reprint requests to Jérôme C. Vryghem, Boulevard Saint-Michel 12–16, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium.
☆ Presented at the XIXth Congress of the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 2001.
☆☆ None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
ABSTRACT