[Color vision in cataract, aphakia and pseudophakia].

Color vision examinations were performed using a clinical test battery and two spectral laboratory methods. With aphakia and iris-clip lenses (ICL) there were slight acquired blue-yellow defects six months to three years after surgery, especially when the more sensitive laboratory methods were used. They were possibly caused by photochemical damage to the retina or by a barrier deprivation syndrome. Color vision with posterior chamber lenses (PCL) was superior to that with ICL, and in aphakic subjects it was quite normal. In the clinical tests no differences could be found between PCLs of clear PMMA material and those with UV absorbing properties. Slight acquired blue-yellow defects in the immediate postoperative phase after implantation of PCLs can be attributed to postoperative irritation and are reversible. Lasting and severe blue-yellow defects indicate inflammation or macular edema.