Bilateral implantation of trifocal IOLs may be most effective for correcting presbyopia

Bilateral implantation of a trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) appears to be the best choice for patients with presbyopia without compromising distant visual acuity, according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

In this network meta-analysis, 27 studies randomized clinical trials assessing multifocal IOLs in 2605 patients who underwent bilateral cataract extraction were included.

Trifocal IOLs and old bifocal diffractive IOLs were found to provide better visual acuity for uncorrected near visual acuity than monofocal IOLs; extended depth-of-focus IOLs provided better visual acuity for uncorrected intermediate visual acuity than monofocal IOLs; and all multifocal IOLs were comparable for uncorrected distant visual acuity with monofocal IOLs.

In pairwise comparisons for uncorrected intermediate visual acuity, there were no differences between extended depth-of-focus and trifocal diffractive IOLs. Regarding contrast sensitivity, glare, or halos, there was no statistical differences between multifocal and monofocal IOLs.

Reference
Cho J, Won YK, Park J, et al. Visual Outcomes and Optical Quality of Accommodative, Multifocal, Extended Depth-of-Focus, and Monofocal Intraocular Lenses in Presbyopia-Correcting Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online September 22, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.3667