Multifocal Intraocular Lenses: Critical Analysis of Results

Abstract

There are numerous multifocal intraocular lenses available on the market. The surgeon may be totally confused and with no clear criteria about which multifocal lens to choose for a specific patient. In this chapter we have collected all the available information published on most of the lenses in the market today in order to form some kind of data banking of multifocal lenses. The data is presented in three ways – a description of every lens and its qualities, recent publications, and the most important experience of the authors when using these lenses. A second way of comparing the different lenses is by using the table provided in this chapter that enables a quick comparison between the various lenses.

One of the most important tools to compare multifocal lenses and to know what to clinically expect from each of them is using defocus curves. In this chapter we describe and explain what a defocus curve is, how is it drawn, and how can we use it to compare different lenses. We outline the main variables to control and guide the surgeon’s decision on which lens to choose, and on the other hand we describe the differences between the lenses currently available on the market. It is impossible to include all the lenses available in this book; however, an effort has been made to include as many as possible and to summarize the qualities of the most common multifocal intraocular lenses available on the market based on the evidence we have today in an attempt to give the reader a simple tool or guide on how to choose the right multifocal lenses for each patient.