Most people undergoing cataract surgery with implantation of a multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) require approximately six months to fully adapt to the IOL and achieve maximum visual benefit, according to new research from Spain.
Researchers at Hospital Quiron in Madrid evaluated the visual performance of patients receiving the Tecnis Multifocal IOL (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, Calif.) over time after their cataract surgery. A total of 250 eyes of 137 patients received the multifocal IOL, and patients were evaluated at intervals of one to three days, 30 to 90 days and 150 to 210 days after surgery.
Results of the study revealed that the patients demonstrated a significant improvement in uncorrected and spectacle-corrected visual acuity at both distance and near over the course of the seven-month study period.
At the last follow-up visit (roughly six months after surgery), eye chart testing of the visual acuity (VA) of eyes receiving the multifocal IOL revealed:
- 77.6 percent had uncorrected distance VA of 20/30 or better.
- 98.4 percent had best spectacle-corrected distance VA of 20/30 or better.
- 96.8 percent had uncorrected near VA of 20/25 or better.
More than 90 percent of the patients rated their near, distance and overall vision as good or excellent, and 88.4 percent of the patients did not wear eyeglasses or reading glasses.
Over the course of the study, most patients experienced an improvement in their visual acuity at all distances and a decrease in the intensity of glare and other undesired visual phenomena.
The researchers concluded that the Tecnis Multifocal IOL provides excellent uncorrected near vision and good distance vision when used to treat cataracts. Most patients, however, required an adaptation period of approximately six months to experience the full visual benefits of the lens, they said.
You can learn more about the Tecnis Multifocal IOL by visiting this Abbott Medical Optics website.
Tags: Cataract Surgery, intraocular lenses, multifocal IOLs, Tecnis Multifocal IOL