Postoperative changes in refraction and anterior chamber depth in different multifocal intraocular lenses

To investigate the axial shift of multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) during the first months after implantation and to determine its potential effect on uncorrected distance visual acuity.

This study comprised 8 patients (16 eyes) who received the Tecnis multifocal IOL and 8 patients (16 eyes) who received the ReSTOR multifocal IOL. Anterior chamber depth was measured with a Scheimpflug camera, and visual acuity and subjective manifest refraction were determined at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 and 3 months after surgery.

The spherical equivalent refraction in the ReSTOR and Tecnis eyes, respectively, was +0.125 +/- 0.412 diopters (D) and +0.306 +/- 0.481 D at day 1, -0.375 +/- 0.280 D and -0.188 +/- 0.438 D at 1 week, -0.475 +/- 0.337 D and -0.018 +/- 0.512 D at 1 month, and 0.297 +/- 0.267 D and -0.036 +/- 0.393 D at 3 months. Anterior chamber depth in the ReSTOR and Tecnis eyes, respectively, was 3.18 +/- 0.1 mm and 3.16 +/- 0.17 mm at day 1, 3.18 +/- 0.10 mm and 3.17 +/- 0.20 mm at 1 week, 3.29 +/- 0.22 mm and 3.18 +/- 0.25 mm at 1 month, and 3.14 +/- 0.19 mm and 3.20 +/- 0.14 mm at 3 months. The change in axial position did not correlate with the change in refraction.

Multifocal IOLs change their axial position slightly during the first postoperative months. The ReSTOR IOL showed a myopic change of approximately -0.50 D during this time period, which did not correlate with the change in axial position.