Clinical Outcomes and Optical Bench Analysis of a Novel Enhanced Monofocal Intraocular Lens

<b>Purpose:</b> A novel enhanced monofocal intraocular lens (IOL) has been developed to improve functional intermediate vision, maintaining a distance vision comparable to a standard monofocal lens and avoiding the drawbacks of multifocal IOLs. The aim of this study is to perform optical bench analysis and to evaluate refractive and visual outcomes and patient satisfaction. <b>Methods</b>: This prospective comparative single-center study was conducted in Careggi Hospital, University of Florence (Italy). We included 100 eyes from 50 patients who underwent bilateral cataract surgery. One group received the standard monofocal Tecnis GCB00 IOL, while the other group received the novel enhanced monofocal Evolux IOL. We evaluated binocular visual and refractive outcomes at 6 months after surgery. Binocular defocus curves and contrast sensitivity (CS) were also assessed. Optical quality was also analyzed in terms of higher-order aberrations (HOAs), modulation transfer function (MTF), objective scatter index (OSI), Strehl ratio, effective lens position (ELP), and halo analysis. A Patient-Reported Spectacle Independence Questionnaire (PRSIQ) was performed to assess spectacle independence outcomes. Finally, we analyzed the optical bench of both lenses. <b>Results</b>: All eyes implanted with Evolux achieved excellent distance vision, comparable to that achieved with GCB00. Evolux showed better intermediate and near vision, without any loss of visual quality, contrast sensitivity, or the presence of halos and photic phenomena. The optical bench analysis confirmed the different optical properties of the two lenses and supported the behavior obtained with the clinical defocus curve. <b>Conclusions</b>: These preliminary results show good refractive accuracy and visual outcomes for the enhanced monofocal IOL Evolux after cataract surgery. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings in terms of the number of patients and the period of follow-up.