PERFORMANCE OF DIFFRACTIVE MULTIFOCAL INTRAOCULAR LENSES IN EXTRACAPSULAR CATARACT-SURGERY

In a prospective, randomized clinical trial, 42 patients received a mo nofocal intraocular lens and 38 a multifocal lens after extracapsular cataract extraction. Patients were examined three, six, and 12 months after surgery. Uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 57% of monofocal and 58% of multifocal patients; 12% and 52% had near uncorr ected visual acuity of J1 to J2, respectively. Best corrected visual a cuities were not significantly different. Forty-eight percent of the m ultifocal and 8% of the monofocal group did not require spectacle corr ection. On a patient satisfaction questionnaire, 60% of all patients r eported discomfort when using spectacles for near vision. Patients in the multifocal group were more satisfied with their near vision than t hose in the monofocal group. The difference in satisfaction was not si gnificantly different although more multifocal patients reported visua l phenomena (e.g., glare, halos). Mean contrast sensitivity for the mo nofocal group and the multifocal group was 1.73 and 1.70, respectively . At low contrast sensitivities, the difference was not significant al though the monofocal patients scored better.