Age-related visual outcomes in eyes with diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses

To assess the influence of patient age on visual outcomes in eyes with diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) SUBJECTS/METHODS: Based on age, we classified eyes with diffractive multifocal IOL into four groups: u50 (under 50 years old), 50s (50-59 years), 60s, and 70s. Corrected distance (CD), distance-corrected near (DCN) visual acuity (VA), and defocus curve were measured postoperatively. Using an "area-of-focus" metric, the distant, intermediate, and near area-of-focus (AoF) were also measured. These postoperative results were compared between the age groups.

At 3 months after surgery, the CDVA in the u50, 50s, 60s, and 70s groups were -0.18, -0.16, -0.14, and -0.10 logMAR, respectively. The 70s CDVA was significantly worse than the u50 and 50s groups (P = 0.002, P = 0.049). The DCNVA in the u50, 50s, 60s, and 70s were 0.01, 0.03, 0.03, and 0.08 logMAR. DCNVA in the 70s group was significantly worse than that in the u50 and 60s groups (P = 0.008 and P = 0.019, respectively). The near AoF was smaller in the 70s than in the u50 and 50s groups (P = 0.040, P = 0.047). In both the intermediate and distant AoFs, there was no significant difference between the four age groups. A steep decline in near AoF was observed in patients over 60 years of age.

The CDVA, DCNVA, and near AoF declined with patient age in eyes with diffractive multifocal IOL. The near AoF showed a drastic decline over 60 years.