A Comparative Study of the Visual Outcomes of Two Common Diffractive Trifocal Intraocular Lenses in a Matched Cohort

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare monocular and binocular visual acuity, refractive outcomes, and visual symptom outcomes at one month postoperatively between two recently released trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) models: the TECNIS Odyssey (Johnson & Johnson Vision, Santa Ana, CA, USA) and the Clareon PanOptix Pro (Alcon Vision, Fort Worth, TX, USA). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients who underwent cataract extraction with implantation of either the TECNIS Odyssey or Clareon PanOptix Pro IOL. The groups were matched 1:1 using nearest-neighbor matching based on baseline corneal astigmatism to correct for baseline imbalance. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for inter-eye correlation. Primary outcomes included monocular and binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and manifest refraction. Patient-reported photic symptoms (glare, halos, photophobia, and night vision difficulty) were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Results A total of 168 patients (246 eyes) were initially included: 50 patients (66 eyes) in the Odyssey IOL group and 118 patients (180 eyes) in the PanOptix Pro IOL group. After matching, a total of 130 eyes (65 eyes per IOL group) were analyzed. Mean monocular UDVA was not significantly different between the Odyssey and PanOptix Pro groups (logMAR 0.10 ± 0.11 vs. 0.13 ± 0.13; p = 0.29), although Odyssey eyes were more likely to achieve the 20/50 or better threshold (56 eyes, 100% vs. 49 eyes, 89.1%; p = 0.013). The Odyssey group demonstrated a small but statistically significant advantage in CDVA (logMAR -0.001 ± 0.097 vs. 0.039 ± 0.08; p = 0.034). However, UNVA, binocular visual acuity, and manifest refraction did not differ significantly between the IOL groups. Patient-reported visual symptoms remained below a 15% incidence and were statistically comparable between groups. Conclusions TECNIS Odyssey and Clareon PanOptix Pro demonstrated generally comparable early visual, refractive, and photic outcomes in this retrospective matched cohort of uncomplicated eyes. A small but statistically significant difference in CDVA favored Odyssey, although its clinical relevance remains uncertain.