Simple and accurate alignment of toric intraocular lenses and evaluation of their rotation errors using anterior segment optical coherence tomography

Purpose: To describe a new method of alignment of toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) and evaluation of their rotation errors using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Methods: Twenty-nine eyes of 22 patients who had cataract extraction and implantation of an acrylic toric IOL were included. The new AS-OCT method was used for the alignment of toric IOLs and evaluation of their rotation errors. These rotation errors were evaluated and compared with those measured using the internal map of a wavefront aberrometer. Results: The mean rotation error ± standard deviation (SD) of the toric IOLs evaluated by AS-OCT was 3.2 ± 2.2° and 3.2 ± 2.4° at 1 week and 1 month after surgery, respectively. The mean difference in the reference axis between the visits was 1.8 ± 2.1°. The mean difference between the rotation errors of the alignment axes measured by AS-OCT and the internal map was 2.5 ± 1.9° (P = 0.037). Conclusion: The current method is clinically useful not only for the accurate alignment of toric IOLs but also for evaluating their rotation errors.