gms | German Medical Science

Glistenings are fluid-filled microvacuoles (1.0-5.0μ) that may form within the optic, when the IOL is in an aqueous environment. Glistenings are observed in all types of IOLs, but are primarily associated with hydrophobic acrylic lenses. In the past, glistenings were overlooked and underdiagnosed during clinical examination, due to the lack of awareness of this condition. Several causes, including manufacturing of IOLs were associated with the formation of glistenings. Subsurface nano glistenings (SSNG) are very small vacuoles, responsible for sub-surface light scattering, which is described as whitening. Most published studies that have looked at the corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) have not found a statistically significant difference in eyes with glistenings. When contrast sensitivity is evaluated, some studies have found no effect of glistenings, whereas others have found a difference in high contrast sensitivity when looking at high spatial frequencies. The question of light scattering in IOLs with glistenings and its effect on quality of vision and contrast sensitivity is still unclear. It has been shown that the severity of these glistenings increases over time. Even significant glistenings and high-level light scattering from the IOLs have not been shown to have a detectable impact on CDVA or low contrast visual acuity in most papers. Further long-term studies are necessary to assess potential effects of glistenings on patients' visual function, especially in premium IOLs.