{"id":9767,"date":"2026-03-04T15:40:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/?p=9767"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:56:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:56:32","slug":"dry-eye-and-trifocal-lenses-right-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/eye-surgery\/intraocular-lense\/dry-eye-and-trifocal-lenses-right-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Dry eye and trifocal lenses: when premium IOLs are the right choice \u2014 and when they are not"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; woodmart_inline=&#8221;no&#8221; text_larger=&#8221;no&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Dry eye and trifocal lenses: why not every patient is a candidate for maximum technology in cataract surgery<\/h2>\n<p>When patients consider cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange, the conversation often focuses on trifocal intraocular lenses and the possibility of becoming independent from glasses.<\/p>\n<p>However, one critical factor is frequently underestimated: <strong>the quality of the ocular surface and the presence of dry eye disease<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>The ocular surface: the eye\u2019s first optical system<\/h2>\n<p>Before light reaches the cornea or the intraocular lens, it passes through the tear film.<\/p>\n<h3>The tear film is not just a lubricant \u2014 it performs key optical functions<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>It is the first refractive surface of the eye.<\/li>\n<li>It directly influences optical quality.<\/li>\n<li>It determines visual stability.<\/li>\n<li>It conditions contrast and sharpness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A patient may have good visual acuity during consultation, yet experience fluctuating vision throughout the day due to tear film instability. This becomes crucial when discussing <strong>trifocal or other premium intraocular lenses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>What happens if a trifocal lens is implanted in a patient with untreated dry eye?<\/h2>\n<p>Trifocal lenses distribute incoming light into different focal points to provide distance, intermediate and near vision, and they work exceptionally well when the optical system is stable.<\/p>\n<h3>An unstable ocular surface can cause:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>More noticeable halos<\/li>\n<li>Reduced contrast sensitivity<\/li>\n<li>Fluctuating vision<\/li>\n<li>More difficult neuroadaptation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Final satisfaction can decrease. This is not a problem of the lens \u2014 it is a problem of <em>indication<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>What do we do in these cases?<\/h2>\n<p>Before choosing the intraocular lens, we perform a <strong>specific ocular surface assessment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>We evaluate:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Tear film quality and stability<\/li>\n<li>Meibomian gland function<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This evaluation helps determine whether the eye is suitable for a multifocal lens or whether a safer optical strategy is preferable.<\/p>\n<h2>Sometimes, less technology means a better visual outcome<\/h2>\n<p>In several patients, a monofocal or enhanced monofocal lens offers greater stability, better contrast and a lower risk of dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>Even if reading glasses are needed, this option avoids worsening the patient\u2019s current visual quality.<\/p>\n<h2>Our surgical criteria<\/h2>\n<p>My goal is not to implant the most advanced lens \u2014 my goal is to choose the lens that <strong>works best for your specific eye<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In cataract surgery, excellence is not about using the highest technology, but about selecting the right technology for each patient.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more in our <a href=\"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/eye-surgery\/intraocular-lense\/\">intraocular lens section<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To book an appointment: <a href=\"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/book-online\/\">https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/book-online\/<\/a><\/p>\n<section class=\"post-eaat medico\" aria-label=\"Medical review\">\n<h2>Medical review<\/h2>\n<p>Reviewed by: <strong>Dr. Antonio Soler Garc\u00eda<\/strong>, Medical Director at SolEyes Fuengirola.<br \/>\n<strong>Medical license number:<\/strong> 292907906.<br \/>\n<strong>Updated on:<\/strong> 2026-03-04.<\/p>\n<h3>Important notice<\/h3>\n<p>This content is informational and does <strong>not replace<\/strong> a professional medical evaluation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; woodmart_inline=&#8221;no&#8221; text_larger=&#8221;no&#8221;] Dry eye and trifocal lenses: why not every patient is a candidate for maximum technology in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[148],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intraocular-lense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9770,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9767\/revisions\/9770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}