Intra-Observer and Inter-Observer Variability of Intraocular Lens Measurements Using an Interferometry Metrology Device

Abstract

The NIMO TEMPO (Lambda-X, Nivelles, Belgium) is a novel, user-friendly and compact device designed for in vitro optical analysis of refractive and diffractive intraocular lenses (IOLs). This device analyzes the IOL wavefront and generates a synthetic eye model for numerical computation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the precision of this innovative device. Intra- and inter-observer variability were calculated using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) after conducting ten measurements of eight different IOL models, with each measurement being repeated by three distinct operators (resulting in a total of 30 measurements for each IOL). The device demonstrated satisfactory intra- and inter-observer variability in evaluating IOL power and modulation transfer function (MTF) profiles, with values of 0.066 and 0.078 diopters for IOL power and 0.018 and 0.019 for MTF measurements, respectively. Furthermore, this hybrid optical and numerical in vitro IOL wavefront analyzer appears to have several advantages over conventional optical bench devices. It reduces the need for operator manipulation, and allows for numerical modeling of various optical environments, including cornea models and apertures. In conclusion, this novel metrology device designed for refractive and diffractive IOLs appears to provide a satisfactory precision, making it a promising tool in the field of IOL metrology.