Comparison of Objective and Subjective Visual Outcomes Between Pentafocal and Trifocal Diffractive Intraocular Lenses

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cataract surgery commonly involves intraocular lens (IOL) implantation to restore vision.
• Advancements in IOL technology aim to provide spectacle independence by correcting refractive errors at multiple distances.
• Diffractive multifocal IOLs are designed to address both distance and near vision needs, but intermediate vision and visual quality can vary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical and aberrometric outcomes of a new pentafocal intraocular lens (IOL) against a diffractive trifocal IOL.
• Evaluate visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and optical aberrations between the two IOL types.
• Assess patient-reported visual comfort and disturbances.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 60 patients (30 per group) bilaterally implanted with either the pentafocal Intensity SeeLens IOL or the trifocal FineVision POD F IOL.
• Post-operative assessment at 1 month included refraction, visual acuity, defocus curve, contrast sensitivity, and aberrometry (Hartmann-Shack and double-pass).
• The Quality of Vision (QoV) questionnaire was utilized to quantify visual comfort and disturbances.

Main Results:

• Similar distance and near visual acuities were observed between the pentafocal and trifocal IOLs.
• The pentafocal Intensity IOL demonstrated significantly better distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (P < .01).
• While aberrations were similar, the pentafocal IOL showed a flatter defocus curve and improved QoV scores, particularly regarding glare, halos, and starburst, despite a worse modulation transfer function cut-off value.

Conclusions:

• The pentafocal Intensity IOL provides superior intermediate vision and a more favorable defocus profile compared to the trifocal FineVision IOL.
• Patients implanted with the pentafocal IOL experienced fewer optical disturbances, indicating enhanced visual comfort.
• Further research is warranted to fully characterize the aberration profile of the pentafocal IOL.