Multifocal IOLs: A new age of better patient results

Multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) have come a long way since their inception. Complaints of mesopic contrast sensitivity loss and night vision symptoms like halos have been significantly reduced.
And according to Brian S. Boxer Wachler, M.D., “It’s certainly an exciting time in terms of being able to offer patients an improvement in near vision as well as distance.”
Dr. Boxer Wachler will be speaking on “The Advantages of Multifocal IOLs” at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Las Vegas.
He will be focusing on the ReStor (Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, Texas) and ReZoom (Advanced Medical Optics, AMO, Santa Ana, Calif.) lenses and highlighting the differences and similarities between the two.
“The lenses basically use a type of technology that allows for simultaneous distant and near vision and each lens has a different proprietary technology that allows for the ability to aid in the near vision,” Dr. Boxer Wachler said.
As an example, the ReStor lens uses a technology that is called apodization that allows for near vision improvement, Dr. Boxer Wachler said.
He also will discuss the possibility of combining the lenses in patients, where one eye would be fitted with a ReStor lens and the other eye with a ReZoom lens. Part of the rationale behind this is that the ReStor lens corrects for distance and near vision while the ReZoom lens corrects for distance and mid-range vision, he said.
Dr. Boxer Wachler said that the take home message for his lecture is that this technology of multifocal lenses has ushered in a whole new ability for surgeons to help their patients with their visual needs.

Editors’ note: Dr. Boxer Wachler is a consultant for Alcon.

Contact Information
BoxerWachler: 310-860-1920, bbw@boxerwachler.com

Source: EyeWorld Staff