gms | German Medical Science

Purpose: To assess the patient satisfaction and quality of life after refractive lens exchange (RLE) with one single brand of trifocal IOL.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent RLE with “ATLisa tri” or “AT LISA tri toric” (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Germany) at one of five surgical centers were surveyed for their quality of life and satisfaction after surgery using a standardized questionnaire. Patient responses were compared to patient characteristics such as age, gender, axial lengths and pre-surgery refraction.

Results: 102 patients with 204 treated eyes were included into the analysis. The mean age was 54.6 ±5.2 years. 172 eyes were hypermetropic, 3 emmetropic, and 25 myopic, with a mean pre-surgical refractive error of 0.93 ±2.17 D. Reported post-surgical satisfaction was as follows: 81.2% stated that their visual needs were completely, and 17.8% partially met. Self-reported refractive error quality of life improved significantly in all queried areas of life. Most reported post-surgical limitations were found for “driving at night” and “driving in bad weather conditions”. Halos were reported by 91 (90.1%) patients.

Conclusion: Patient satisfaction and self-reported quality of life after RLE with trifocal IOL was high. Glare and halos remain the only significant drawback of the procedure leading to 40% of patients experiencing difficulties at night driving.