Effects of a blue light-filtering intraocular lens on driving safety in glare conditions

Purpose: To evaluate whether the previously established benefit of blue light-filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs) when driving in glare conditions is maintained in patients previously implanted with a blue light-filtering toric IOL. Setting: Department of Applied Psychology, Arizona State University, Mesa, Arizona, USA. Design: Comparative case series. Methods: The study comprised patients with a blue light-filtering toric IOL (test IOL) or an ultraviolet (UV)-only filtering nontoric IOL (control IOL). All patients had good visual acuity and a valid driver's license. While wearing best spherocylindrical correction, patients performed left-turn maneuvers in front of oncoming traffic in a driving simulator. The safety margin was defined as the time to collision less the time taken to turn at an intersection with oncoming traffic. Measures were repeated with a glare source simulating low-angle sun conditions (daytime driving). Results: Of the 33 evaluable patients, 18 had a test IOL and 15 had a control IOL. In the presence of glare, patients with test IOLs had significantly greater safety margins (mean 2.676 seconds ± 0.438 [SD]) than patients with control IOLs (mean 2.179 ± 0.343 seconds) and significantly lower glare susceptibility (P<.05). In no-glare and glare conditions, patients with test IOLs had significantly lower glare susceptibility than patients with control IOLs. Conclusion: The blue light-filtering toric IOL produced a significantly greater reduction in glare disability than the UV-only filtering nontoric IOL and increased the ability of drivers to safely execute left turns in low-sun conditions. Financial Disclosure: Dr. Houtman is an employee of Alcon Laboratories, Inc. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.