Intraocular lenses for presbyopia correction: past, present, and future

To discuss the development of presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs), what we have learned since their introduction a few decades ago, what are the options currently on the market, and where the technology is heading in the future.

Multifocal and accommodating IOLs have gone through several modifications to improve distance, intermediate and near vision compared to their predecessors. These modifications have also targeted unwanted side-effects such as glare and halos in the multifocal lenses and inconsistent near-vision results in the accommodating IOLs and although the results have improved, they are far from perfect. Therefore, careful patient selection for each of these technologies is crucial for success and patient satisfaction.

Presbyopia correction remains a great challenge in cataract and refractive surgery. In this article, we review the development of presbyopia-correcting IOLs, starting from the simple, two-zone, multifocal, refractive models introduced 2 decades ago, the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved multifocal and accommodating lenses as well as those undergoing FDA trials and take a look into developing technologies that may be available to us in the future.