Age has little impact on vision outcomes after IOL implantation, study finds

Visual acuity at all distances is consistent across age groups (40–79 years) following implantation of trifocal or enhanced monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs); however, contrast sensitivity declines with age, according to a study.

The study included 156 patients (78 with trifocal IOLs and 78 with enhanced monofocal IOLs), divided evenly across 3 age groups (40s & 50s, 60s, and 70s).

Uncorrected and distance-corrected visual acuity at multiple distances remained consistent across age groups for both types of lenses at 3 months post-surgery. Contrast sensitivity, however, declined with age, particularly in the enhanced monofocal group at lower contrast levels (25% to 2.5%) and in the trifocal group at full contrast (100%). The 40s & 50s group had significantly better contrast sensitivity compared to older age groups (P ≤ 0.002)

Although age did not significantly affect visual acuity outcomes with trifocal or enhanced monofocal IOLs, contrast sensitivity may be compromised in older patients.

Reference
Hayashi K, Uno K, Hayashi S, et al. Age-related difference in the presbyopia-correcting effect of trifocal and enhanced monofocal intraocular lenses. Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2025;doi: 10.1007/s10384-025-01245-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40632441.