The small improvement in power-prediction accuracy for exact-power-labeled IOLs decreased in IOLs of 20.00 D or greater. For IOLs of 15.00 to 20.00 D, the increased accuracy (+/-0.09 D) was statistically significant and could increase predictability of postoperative refractions. Acrylic dioptric power was directly proportional to temperature.

The optical quality of 81 monofocal poly(methyl methacrylate) intraocular lenses (IOLs) from eight U.S. firms was tested using a 3 mm aperture, as recommended by the American National Standards Institute Z80.7 standard for IOLs, and a 4 mm aperture. The use of the larger aperture had no effect on the measurements of refractive power and astigmatism. When examined with the 3 mm aperture, the average resolving power of the IOLs was 81% of the diffraction limit; when examined with the 4 mm aperture, the average resolving power was 67% of the diffraction limit. Use of the larger aperture would ensure that a larger area of the IOL had been examined. Incorporating the larger aperture into the ANSI minimum resolution requirement would not appreciably affect the rejection rate for currently manufactured monofocal lenses.

Intraocular lenses (IOLs) from 15 U.S. firms were tested for conformance to the requirements of the American National Standards Institute Z80.7 standard for IOLs. A total of 162 IOLs were tested for resolution, astigmatism, and accuracy of labeled power. Average resolving power was 78% of the diffraction limit, much better than the ANSI minimum requirement which is typically equivalent to 30% of the diffraction limit. This suggests that the ANSI Z80.7 requirement could be significantly tightened with little effect on current production practices. Only one IOL exhibited astigmatism in excess of 0.25 diopter. Differences between measured and labeled power in excess of 0.50 diopter were found in 22 lenses, indicating that accuracy of refractive power may be the most commonly missed optical requirement of the standard.

Based on a fiber-optic confocal design, we have developed a simple, accurate, objective and quick method for exact focal length measurement of both positive and negative intraocular lenses providing a spatial resolution exceeding 1 µm.