Diffractive MIOLs provide better reading performance

Article

Post-op bilateral reading performance is significantly improved when using a multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) with a diffractive component rather than a refractive multifocal or monofocal lens, according to a recent study.

Post-op bilateral reading performance is significantly improved when using a multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) with a diffractive component rather than a refractive multifocal or monofocal lens, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.

The study group, led by Dr Jorge Alió, Vissum-Instituto Oftalmológico de Alicante, Alicante, Spain, compared the bilateral reading performance within a 6-month follow up period after implantation with four different IOLs.

A total of 304 eyes of 152 patients underwent bilateral phacoemulsification and then implantation with one of four IOLs. The lenses used in the study were the Acri-Smart 48S monofocal, AcrySof Restor SN6AD3 apodized mutlifocal, Acri.LISA 366D diffractive multifocal and the ReZoom refractive mutlifocal. For comparison each patient’s bilateral reading performance was measured both with and without near correction and pre- and postoperatively with the Salzburg Reading Desk.

It was found that all groups demonstrated an improvement in uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity after implantation of the IOLs. However, a significant improvement in uncorrected reading acuity was demonstrated in the groups that had been implanted with the apodized multifocal and diffractive multifocal lenses at 1 month and 6 months post-op. Additionally, the uncorrected reading speed of the study group was found to be much worse in patients implanted with the refractive multifocal lens in comparison with the monofocal lens implant at 1 month follow-up.

From the results it was concluded that MIOLs with a diffractive component offered the best option for post-op reading performance when compared with refractive multifocal and monofocal IOLs.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.