Planning Adjustment of Toric Capsular Bag Intraocular Lens Axis to Minimise Refractive Cylinder Outcome—A Calculation Concept Based on Vergence Transformations

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a concept for adjustment planning of intraocular lens orientation axes after cataract surgery with implantation of toric intraocular lenses (tIOLs) and to predict the spectacle refraction after tIOL re-alignment. Methods: This calculation concept based on paraxial spherocylindrical vergence transformations uses the actual spherocylindrical refraction at the spectacle plane, corneal power, and the labelled power and measured axis of the implanted tIOL to minimise the refractive cylinder by simulating the rotation of the tIOL in the eye. The axial lens position is derived from simple prediction models using anterior chamber depth and lens thickness or axial length from preoperative biometry or the equivalent tIOL power. The new target axis is predicted together with the spherocylindrical refraction after re-alignment of the tIOL. Results: To show the applicability of this calculation model, we provide four clinical working examples: example 1 deals with keratometric power values; example 2 deals with keratometric curvature values, including surgically induced astigmatism and a statistical posterior astigmatism correction for the cornea (both examples with a thin cornea model); example 3 deals with corneal curvature data for the front and back surface; and example 4 deals with keratometric power data and corneal back surface power data, including surgically induced astigmatism (both examples with a thick cornea model). Conclusions: The effect of tIOL axis adjustment after cataract surgery can be predicted based on actual refraction, corneal power, tIOL power and the measured axis, and a simulation of the tIOL axis rotation enables the best orientation with the lowest refractive cylinder at the spectacle plane to be found.