To investigate the effect of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) on visual acuity (VA) after implantation of a diffractive multifocal intraocular lens (mIOL).

Eye Clinic, Okayama, Japan.

Retrospective case series.

This study evaluated 475 eyes of 475 patients who underwent cataract surgery with a TECNIS Multifocal ZLB00 lens implant between November 2017 and October 2019. Patient eyes were classified into the complete PVD group (PVD group) or the control group with no PVD/partial PVD (non-PVD group) and divided into 3 age categories: 65 to 69, 70 to 74, and 75 to 79 years. The postoperative VA of the PVD and non-PVD groups was compared between and within groups by age.

Distance-corrected near VA (DCNVA) was significantly worse in the PVD group than in the non-PVD group in all age categories (P ≤ .029). In the PVD group, both corrected distance VA (CDVA) and DCNVA were significantly worse in the 75 to 79 years age group than in the 65 to 69 and 70 to 74 years age groups (P ≤ .034). CDVA and DCNVA in the non-PVD group did not differ significantly between age categories.

The results of this study suggest that complete PVD worsens near VA in eyes with a diffractive mIOL. Furthermore, eyes with complete PVD may show an age-related decline in both CDVA and DCNVA. In particular, eyes ≥75 years of age with complete PVD have a poor visual prognosis and should be given careful consideration when deciding whether to implant a diffractive mIOL.