The effects of two longpass filters on visual performance

Purpose: This study compared visual performance and optical properties of three filters. Method: Two groups of twenty adults were recruited: wearers of progressive addition lenses (PAL, 46–73 years) and wearers of single vision lenses (SVL, 26–55 years). Three spectacle filters (Hoya, Japan) were compared: clear control, Standard Drive (STD), and Professional Drive (PRO) lenses. Optical transmittance was measured by a Jasco V-650 spectrophotometer. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured in photopic (BCVAphotopic) and mesopic (BCVAmesopic) conditions and under glare (BCVAglare). Photopic contrast sensitivity (CS) was also measured. Results: The three longpass filters show cutoff at 426 ± 2 nm (STD/PRO) and 405 ± 2 nm (clear lens). BCVAglare improved with Drive filters compared to the clear one (p < 0.05) from 0.03 to -0.02 (STD) and to -0.01 (PRO) for PAL and from -0.08 to -0.12 (STD and PRO) for SVL. For PAL, BCVAmesopic improved from 0.15 to 0.12 (STD, p < 0.05) and 0.13 (PRO), while no substantial difference was observed for SVL. CS showed some improvements with Drive lenses at some angular frequencies between 6 and 18 cycles/deg, mainly for the PAL group. No BCVAphotopic differences were found. After testing all filters, each for two weeks, 79% (PAL) and 60% (SVL) of participants preferred Drive lenses. Conclusions: Drive lenses are found to maintain or improve some visual functions compared to the clear lens. The improvement of mesopic visual acuity, visual acuity under glare, and contrast sensitivity is mainly attributed to the reduction of intraocular light scattering as a consequence of the total light attenuation in the spectral range below the cutoff.