Clinical study for prediction of postoperative visual acuity in cataract patients

: In order to predict more quantitatively postoperative visual acuity in cataract patients, we employed the potential acuity meter (PAM). The PAM projects a Snellen visual acuity chart into the eye by a minute aerial aperture approximately 0.1 mm in diameter. The value of determining potential visual acuity is evident because of the frequent co-existence of macular abnormalities in cataract patients. The 20 cataract patients had an average of 64.8 years (range, 48 to 84 years), and 8 were men and 12 were women. In 23 of the 25 eyes examined, postoperative visual acuity was within two lines or better than the predicted visual acuity with the PAM. Provided the operator is skillful, and if one recognizes its limitations and indications, the PAM is a useful means of predicting postoperative visual acuity in patients with mild or moderate cataracts.