Today, patients are increasingly undergoing cataract surgery earlier in life, and the procedure has become an extremely rapid and refined process: small incisions, quick recoveries, and typically, great visual outcomes. For well over a decade now, surgeons have been able to offer presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs), and with them, the option of spectacle independence for presbyopes. Until fairly recently, multifocality meant bifocality: light energy is primarily directed to near and far focal points.
Multifocality, by its nature, is an optical compromise – and the trade-off of two or more focal points on the retina is associated with some level of photic phenomena, such as halo and glare (1). Most bifocal IOLs typically deliver excellent near and distance vision – but at the expense of intermediate vision. So the challenge when designing a better multifocal IOL is to provide continuous visual acuity over near, intermediate and distance, with minimal photic phenomena, with the greatest amount of light reaching the retina for optimal contrast sensitivity. In July of 2015, Thomas Kohnen, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, implanted the first Alcon AcrySof® IQ PanOptix™ IOL worldwide into a patient (2). PanOptix™ is Alcon’s latest multifocal IOL, a trifocal lens that features an innovative optical technology designed to help patients adjust more naturally to their new vision. It does this in part by providing a comfortable range of near to intermediate vision (40– 80 cm) with a crisp focal point at 60 cm, and by optimizing light transmission to the retina (3–7). Since its launch, PanOptix™ has been adopted by some leading surgeons, some of whom assembled in Prague on Friday, June 24, 2016. They shared their experience with the lens, their outcomes, and their thoughts on patient selection.
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Alcon Consultancy Panel:
- Thomas Kohnen, Frankfurt, Germany
- José Alfonso, Oviedo, Spain
- Francesco Carones, Milan, Italy
- Ruth Lapid-Gortzak, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Joaquim Murta, Coimbra, Portugal
- Kjell Gunnar Gundersen, Haugesund, Norway
- Bilgehan Sezgin Asena, Izmir, Turkey
- Martin Kacerovský, Prague, Czech Republic
- Mike Holzer, Heidelberg, Germany
- Ozana Moraru, Bucharest, Romania
- Dominique Monnet, Paris, France
- Mayank Nanavaty, Brighton, UK
- Islam Hamdi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Ahmed Sedky, Cairo, Egypt
This supplement reflects the opinions and experiences of meeting participants in Prague on June 24, 2016. Data presented are representative of each participating surgeons’ own experience, and do not arise from formal clinical studies. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
