2212: What refractive target is best?

Uday Devgan MD,

Yesterday’s CataractCoach Podcast featured Dr Steven Schallhorn and it was a fascinating discussion that taught me so much. Using a big data approach he analyzed patient satisfaction after monofocal IOLs and a goal of plano for best distance vision. The results were surprising because they contradict the old dogma of cataract surgery that you should aim for -0.50 for best distance vision. That’s not the best approach according to his data. By the way, remember back when you didn’t realize how much benefit you would get from watching a 5 min cataract video every day? Yup, there is even more benefit from listening to an hour podcast once a week! I am confident that you will love the podcast and you will learn so much to benefit your patients.

This was taught many years ago, but it may not be the best approach.
For best uncorrected distance visual acuity, aiming for plano to slight hyperopia is probably best.
The data shows that patients are happier being +0.50 instead of -0.50 when evaluating distance vision.
For monovision with single focus IOLs, aiming for -1.50 near and plano to +0.25 for far seems to be a great combination.

video link here

Published by Uday Devgan MD

Professor Uday Devgan MD is a Los Angeles Cataract Surgeon who authors CataractCoach.com to teach the best techniques of Cataract Surgery to Eye Surgeons from around the world.

1 Comment

  1. What is the best target for post RK patients with 12 cuts? What is the best way to calculate the right IOL?

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