[Current state of knowledge on special lenses].

Patients undergoing lens surgery nowadays have the option to choose between different intraocular lens (IOL) options depending on the ocular situation and personal preferences. For example, it is possible to implant a toric IOL to compensate for extensive corneal distortion or a multifocal IOL to have good visual acuity at various distances. The high level of competition in the lens market leads to fast development of new lens models giving patients the advantage to choose between a variety of options. This review article presents the most commonly used premium IOL options namely, aspheric, toric and multifocal IOLs and a summary of the current study situation for the different lens types. Compared to standard lenses, these lenses can improve uncorrected distance and near visual acuity; however, in some patients the added benefit can be only marginal and this is then an unnecessary cost factor for the patient. Furthermore, if inclusion and exclusion criteria are not respected the special forms of lenses can even lead to a poorer overall result.