Trifocal lenses, an innovative solution for treating presbyopia

Commonly known as “tired vision”, presbyopia is a pathology which affects a large part of the population. Presbyopia is the progressive loss of accommodation and affects everyone beyond 40-50 years old, irrespective of any base refractive error. Until a relatively short time ago, it was corrected with the aid of lenses, glasses and surgery.

These widely-known techniques have been joined recently by the use of intraocular multifocal lenses and in particular of trifocal lenses, which have proved to be highly effective in correcting tired vision. As a result of the excellent results achieved, experts increasingly favour applying lens extraction surgery with an intraocular lens implant as the most efficient and definitive treatment for correcting presbyopia.

Dr. Paula Verdaguer, a specialist in cornea, refractive surgery and cataract at the Institut de la Màcula, says “although there are still a limited number of surgeons who use them, trifocal lenses are becoming widespread as a regular resource for treating presbyopia because they enable three focal lengths to be corrected with the same lens: distant, intermediate and near vision.”

The Institut expert adds that “the novelty of the trifocal lens is that it corrects intermediate vision while providing maximum performance in distant and near vision. Also, due to its optical characteristics, this type of lens provides good vision quality in any light conditions and minimises the appearance of night vision halos.”

This technique is indicated for a large range of patients, both those with hyperopia of over 45 years old and those with myopia who are older than 50. It therefore benefits all those diagnosed with tired vision who wish to stop using glasses or lenses. Most studies demonstrate that a large proportion of patients with a trifocal lens implant recover a full range of vision. Surgery corrects refractive defects in a stable manner over time and, logically, avoids the appearance of cataracts as we remove the lens.