Influence of mild non-foveal involving epiretinal membrane on visual quality in eyes with multifocal intraocular lens implantation

Purpose To determine the influence of mild non-foveal involving epiretinal membrane (ERM) on visual outcome in eyes with multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) implantation. Methods Patients with history of MIOL implantation were screened for the presence of ERM using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) at postoperative 6 months. Ninety-one eyes with mild non-foveal involving ERM and history of MIOL implantation were compared with 83 age-matched controls without ERM and history of MIOL implantation. The visual acuity (corrected and uncorrected) and visual quality (contrast sensitivity, Strehl ratio, area ratio, and higher-order aberrations; HOAs) of the eyes with mild non-foveal involving ERM were compared with the data of the age-matched control group. Results There was no difference in visual acuity between the groups at baseline and postoperative 6 months. The mild non-foveal involving ERM group showed significantly low contrast sensitivity at a visual angle of 4.0 degrees, 2.5 degrees, 1.0 degrees, and 0.64 degrees under scotopic conditions (P = .048, P = .025, P = .003, and P = .02, respectively) and 4.0 degrees, 1.0 degrees, and 0.64 degrees under photopic conditions (P = .028, P = .002, and P = .001, respectively). The mean area ratio of the mild non-foveal involving ERM group was 45.13 +/- 10.93, which was significantly lower than that of the control group, which measured 50.34 +/- 12.66 (P = .044). Conclusion A mild non-foveal involving ERM has no effect on visual acuity, but it reduces visual quality in eyes with MIOL implantation. A thorough screening using SD-OCT is warranted for this condition when considering MIOL implantation.