Ocular dominance and patient satisfaction after monovision induced by intraocular lens implantation.

Purpose: To elucidate the relationship between ocular dominance and patient satisfaction with monovision induced by intraocular lens implantation.

Setting: Eye Clinic, Kitasato University School of Medicine Hospital, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.

Methods: The durations of exclusive visibility of dominant- and nondominant-eye targets were measured in 16 patients with successful monovision and 4 patients with unsuccessful monovision to determine the characteristics of ocular dominance. The dominant eye was determined using the hole-in-card test (sighting dominance). The contrast of target in nondominant eye was fixed at 100%; the contrast of target in the dominant eye varied (ie, 100% to 80% to 60% to 40% to 20%) using rectangular gratings of 2 cycles per degree that were 4 degrees in size.

Results: In the successful monovision group, the reversal thresholds (ie, exclusive visibility of the nondominant eye crosses over that of the dominant eye) were displayed only at low decreasing contrast (80% and 60%). However, in the unsuccessful monovision group, the reversal thresholds were at high decreasing contrast (20%) or not at all. The reversal thresholds in patients with unsuccessful monovision were at a significantly lower contrast than in patients with successful monovision (P<.05).

Conclusions: Success and patient satisfaction in monovision patients were significantly influenced by the magnitude of ocular dominance. The balance technique seems to be a good method to evaluate the quantity of ocular dominance and prospectively evaluate the monovision technique.