Multifocal intraocular lens implantation in patients with traumatic cataract

To evaluate the postoperative outcome and complication rate of cataract extraction with implantation of a zonal-progressive multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) for traumatic cataract.

Prospective, nonrandomized, comparative trial.

Fifty-one eyes of 51 subjects with traumatic cataract caused by nonpenetrating, penetrating, and perforating ocular trauma at two university institutions with more than 12 months follow-up.

Temporal clear corneal phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation was performed in all eyes. In 29 subjects, a zonal-progressive optic multifocal IOL (Array SA40-N Allergan, Irvine, CA) was implanted, whereas 22 subjects received a monofocal IOL and served as controls.

Preoperative subjects demographics, mean postoperative spherical equivalent, astigmatism, and uncorrected and best-corrected distance visual acuity were similar in the two groups. Subjects with a multifocal IOL achieved a significantly better uncorrected near visual acuity than subjects with monofocal IOL (0.24 vs. 0.40; P = 0.0001). With distance correction only, mean near visual acuity was 0.21 vs. 0.43 (P = 0.0001). Best-corrected near visual acuity was 0.17 for both groups (P = 0.91), with +1.24 diopters (D) for the multifocal group and +2.45 D for the monofocal group (P = 0.0001). Spectacle dependency differed significantly between the two groups, with 18 (81%) subjects of the monofocal group commonly requiring an additional plus add for near tasks compared with 5 (17%) subjects in the multifocal group (P = 0.001). Stereopsis was superior in the multifocal group (P < 0.001), with 20 (69%) and 16 (55%) patients with a multifocal IOL responding positively to the Lang and Titmus tests, respectively. In the monofocal group, only eight (36%) and five (22%) subjects gave correct answers.

Multifocal IOL implantation is a viable alternative to monofocal pseudophakia in subjects with traumatic cataract.