[Multifocal intraocular lenses as an alternative in cataract surgery].

The development and introduction of multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL) should provide the patient with a pseudoaccomodation for distance and near acuity without spectacle corrections. For this study two different types of multifocal lenses have been investigated concerning their visual properties. For diffractive MIOL (3M, type 815LE) an uncorrected distance visual acuity of Snellen 0.59 +/- 0.17 was found. The near visual acuity was J 2.4 +/- 0.94 and Snellen Acuity of 0.5 was achieved in a range of defocus of -1.25 D to +4.0 D. For refractive MIOL (Allergan, type Array SSM 26NB) an uncorrected distance visual acuity of Snellen 0.79 +/- 0.17 was found. The near visual acuity was J 2.75 +/- 1.35 and Snellen Acuity of 0.5 was achieved in a range of defocus of -1.0 D to +3.5 D. With this multifocal lenses the patients reached functional results for distance vision as well as with monofocals. Because of the existing pseudo-accommodation the results for near vision lay over of those of monofocals and the need spectacle correction decrease.