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Realistic goals and careful patient selection crucial when proposing multifocal IOLs
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PARIS — Patient selection is one of the keys to success when implanting multifocal IOLs, according to a leading expert here.
 Beatrice Cochener |
“Beware of the quest for the 20-year-old vision, and make it clear from the very beginning that this is not a realistic goal,” Béatrice Cochener, MD, said at the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology. “Only offer these IOLs to patients who are prepared and happy to accept a compromise.”
Patients should know that their visual quality will become more dependent on light conditions, that they will need a period of adaptation, and that eventually they might not achieve complete spectacle independence, but more likely partial spectacle independence. On average, distance vision of 20/25 and near vision of J2 are achieved by 80% of multifocal IOL patients.
“Multifocal IOLs have contributed greatly to the birth of the new concept of refractive cataract surgery,” Dr. Cochener said. “The first indication is today the correction of presbyopia, which represents 75% of the candidates, ideally more than 55 years old with an aging though still clear crystalline lens. Cataract surgery is another indication, if inclusion criteria are met. These lenses also play an interesting role in congenital cataract.”
Selecting the implant that is best suited for the lifestyle and habits of the individual patient is crucial, she said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Cochener is a clinical investigator for Carl Zeiss Meditec, Alcon, PhysIOL and Bausch + Lomb.