Functional Visual Outcomes of Wearing Colored Filters in Patients with Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leads to a permanent decrease in vision, thus affecting the quality of life. Any intervention or modality that enhances the quality of vision and, in turn, quality of life is vital.   Objective: To evaluate the functional benefits of wearing colored filters in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Methods: The study was conducted from March to October 2023 after approval by the Ethical Review Board. Thirty-one patients above 50 years of age diagnosed with dry AMD at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, were selected using a non-probability convenient sampling technique. After informed consent, different color filters were placed in the patient’s glasses according to their compliance. Each eye was tested separately for contrast sensitivity (CS) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and two weeks after the filter placement. Contrast sensitivity was assessed using the Lea contrast Flip chart, and BCVA was assessed using the LogMar chart. A paired sample t-test was applied for data analysis. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Best corrected visual acuity in the right and left eye improved significantly from 1.00±0.41 to 0.72±0.25 (p=0.000) and from 0.96±0.43 to 0.72±0.30 (p=0.000), respectively after applying filters. However, changes in contrast sensitivity were not significant in the right eye (p=0.59) and left eye (p=0.39). Conclusion: Using colored filters significantly improves the best corrected visual acuity, with no contrast sensitivity improvement. This shows that filters selectively impact functional vision in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration.