Ophthalmology · Premium Lenses
Distance and near,
without reading glasses.
The two-focus lens for people who divide their day between driving and reading — and want to stop looking for their glasses.
A multifocal IOL replaces the natural lens during cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange, with two distinct focal points: distance and near. At Palazzo Manzoni in Brescia, the choice of lens begins with a complete diagnostic assessment, your lifestyle and an honest conversation about the trade-offs.
3 designs
Multifocal, trifocal and EDOF — all also available in toric versions
Zeiss
Exclusive technology partner
1 specialist
From examination through recovery
24–48 hours
Typical return to daily activities
The starting point
You have been adapting for
a long time.
Perhaps the first thing you look for in the morning is your reading glasses. Perhaps you hold your arm out to read a label, or turn up the light to read a menu. Adapting has become such a quiet habit that you barely notice it.
Presbyopia and cataracts do not improve on their own: over time, the natural lens loses elasticity and transparency. Glasses compensate, but they do not restore freedom.
At Palazzo Manzoni in Brescia, the first step is simply a complete diagnostic assessment: understanding your eyes and your life before recommending any lens. About an hour, with no obligation.
What makes a multifocal IOL different
The difference is two focal points in one lens
A monofocal lens focuses at just one point: people who choose one see well at distance, but remain dependent on reading glasses for everything else.
A multifocal lens divides light between two focal points — distance and near, at around 40 centimetres. In a few weeks, the brain learns to select the sharp image for the task at hand: this is neuroadaptation.
That brings three things: freedom to read, clear distance vision and an initial period in which night-time halos and reflections may occur before easing.
01
Reading without glasses
The near focus is dedicated to books, phones and labels.
02
Excellent distance vision
Daytime driving, TV and life outdoors without correction.
03
One department, one pathway
Diagnostics, implant and follow-ups, led by your specialist.
Your journey
Your path to clear vision,
step by step.
Step 01
Book your examination
Phone, WhatsApp, email or online booking. No referral needed.
Step 02
Meet your specialist
A complete assessment of your eyes, a clear explanation of the options and a recommendation built around your life.
Step 03
The treatment
Day surgery at Palazzo Manzoni: the implant takes around 10–15 minutes per eye, using eye drops only.
Step 04
See the world again
The things your vision had quietly taken away begin to return, one by one.
Is a multifocal IOL right for you?
Is a multifocal IOL
right for your eyes?
A multifocal IOL is not a universal lens: it is a precise answer for a precise profile, and the match matters. At Palazzo Manzoni, most candidates share some of these traits.
Clinical profile
- Developing cataract or advanced presbyopia
- Strong motivation to stop using reading glasses
- Healthy macula and retina
- No astigmatism, or astigmatism correctable with a toric version
- A life divided between distance and near, with little intermediate-distance work
- No untreated active eye condition
Life profile
- Daily reading: books, phone, newspapers
- Mostly daytime driving
- Few hours at a computer: a trifocal IOL is better suited to screens
- Comfortable with an adaptation period that may include night-time halos
- A desire for complete freedom from glasses in day-to-day life
When a multifocal IOL is not the right answer
If you drive a lot at night for work, are particularly demanding about absolute image quality or screens dominate your day, an EDOF or trifocal IOL may be a better choice. With macular disease or advanced glaucoma, a monofocal IOL remains the prudent choice.
If a multifocal IOL is right for you, the assessment will confirm it. If not, the right path will emerge from the same tests — and we will show it to you with the same clarity.
Evidence and technology
Decades of evidence,
on an advanced platform
Premium intraocular lenses rest on decades of clinical evidence: millions of implants documented in the literature, optical designs refined generation after generation and ever more precise selection criteria. Choosing the right lens is now a data-led decision, not a gamble.
At Palazzo Manzoni, the entire pathway — biometry, topography, lens calculation and implant — is carried out on the Zeiss platform, with the same specialist from diagnosis through the final check.
Day by day
The first 24 hours, the first week and the months that follow
The evening after surgery
Blurred or fluctuating vision is normal, as is a mild gritty sensation. You go home shortly after the implant with your eye-drop schedule in hand.
The next morning
Most patients already notice useful vision, which continues to clear over the following days. The first check confirms that everything is progressing as expected.
The first week
Vision refines and neuroadaptation begins to work: any night-time halos are at their most noticeable stage and are expected to ease. Continue the eye drops according to the plan provided.
The first month
Visual stability is reached for most patients and night-time effects have largely eased. Reading and distance vision are now working together.
3 to 6 months
The refractive result stabilises fully. A final check documents the outcome and completes the pathway — while we remain available for any questions.
Honest trade-offs
What a multifocal IOL
does not do
Every lens has its trade-offs, and being honest about them matters as much as surgical technique.
It does not provide perfect intermediate vision: computer distance may require a small adjustment or light glasses. In the first few weeks, night-time halos and reflections are part of the adaptation process, with a slight reduction in contrast compared with a monofocal lens.
As with any surgery, an implant is not risk-free: serious risks are uncommon and discussed individually during informed consent. Careful selection is the first safety measure.
Who leads the department
Dr. Andrea Russo
Ophthalmologist. Founder of Palazzo Manzoni. Specialist in laser refractive surgery, ICL and cataract surgery.
International surgical training
including Moorfields Eye Hospital in London
Academic research and teaching
Researcher at the University of Brescia, with 1,200+ scientific citations
Scientific societies
Fellow of the World College of Refractive Surgery (FWCRS), member of the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS)
Inventor
Inventor of D-Eye, a smartphone-based retinal imaging device used in clinical practice around the world
15,000+
procedures performed
“Every pair of eyes tells a different story. Our role is to understand yours fully, explore every option that could improve your vision, and guide you with confidence toward the one that fits your life best.”
Patient stories
They were where
you are now
Glasses have been part of your life for years, or reading has started to slip away. These stories tell of the step that changed things.
Real experiences from patients who took the step
I wore glasses for 18 years. I had not realised how much I had been adapting until I opened my eyes the morning after surgery and saw the ceiling clearly for the first time.
I had only come to resolve my cataract. The specialist explained the multifocal lens option, and now I see better than I did at 50. I have not touched my reading glasses since.
Two clinics had told me laser was not possible for my prescription. At Palazzo Manzoni, they suggested an ICL, and now I see perfectly. I wish I had known this option existed sooner.
Alternatives
If this lens is not the right one,
it does not end here
No lens is universal: every eye and every life call for a different design. If the assessment points to another path, we will show it with the same clarity.
A “no” to a specific design is never a dead end: it is the beginning of the right recommendation.
→EDOF IOL
A continuous focal range and high contrast: the best night-time vision.
→Toric versions
Astigmatism correction, integrated into any design.
→Cataract surgery
When a cataract is the reason for surgery, opacity and lens are addressed together.
Your assessment will clarify which path is right.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
about multifocal IOLs
What is a multifocal IOL?
It is an intraocular lens with two distinct focal points — distance and near — which replaces the natural lens during cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange. The goal: reading and seeing at distance without glasses.
How is it different from a trifocal IOL?
A trifocal IOL adds a third focal point for intermediate distance — the computer screen and dashboard. If your day is spent with screens, it is probably the better candidate; if your life is mostly reading and distance, a multifocal IOL may be enough.
Are night-time halos permanent?
No, in most cases: they are most noticeable in the first few weeks and ease with neuroadaptation within one or two months. A small proportion of patients continue to perceive them, generally without limitations when driving or in daily life.
Will I see well at the computer?
Intermediate distance is this design’s weakest point: good to fair. If you spend many hours at a screen, you may prefer a trifocal IOL or use light glasses for prolonged computer work.
What is neuroadaptation?
It is the process by which the brain learns to use the lens’s two focal points, selecting the sharp image and ignoring the other. It takes a few weeks to a few months and is why vision continues to improve after surgery.
I have astigmatism: can I have a multifocal IOL?
Yes, with the toric version, which corrects astigmatism in the same implant. Without correction, significant astigmatism would blur vision at every distance.
How long does the lens last?
For life: it does not wear out and does not need replacing. If the capsule behind the lens becomes cloudy over time, it can be resolved in a few minutes as an outpatient procedure with a YAG laser.
Is surgery painful?
No: the procedure uses eye drops only and takes around 10–15 minutes per eye, as day surgery. Mild discomfort or a gritty sensation in the first few hours is normal.
When can I return to my activities?
Useful vision returns in 24–48 hours; work and social life resume within a few days. Intense sports and swimming should wait a few weeks, according to your surgeon’s instructions.
How do I know if I am a candidate?
A complete diagnostic assessment tells us: biometry, corneal topography and retinal health. If a multifocal IOL is not the right lens, we will show you the alternative with the same clarity.
Take the next step
The next step
is a conversation
No commitment and no runaround: tell us what is troubling you and we will explain how we can help. Every consultation is personal and unhurried.
Address
Via dei Mille 14, 25122 Brescia, Italia
Phone
Opening hours
Mon-Fri 8:30-18:30 · Sat 9:00-13:00
01
Write to us or call us
Phone, WhatsApp, email or online booking: whichever you prefer.
02
Meet your specialist
An unhurried visit with the doctor who may perform your surgery; they will follow you through to the end.
03
Decide in your own time
Leave the visit with a clear picture and a shared plan. Whether and when remain your decision.
Scientific research
Dr. Andrea Russo co-authored a study on intraocular lens power calculation by ray tracing in complex eyes, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine (2026). The team’s full list of publications is available on PubMed.
Content reviewed by Dr. Giulia Festa and Dr. Jacopo Zilioli, cataract surgeons at the Institute.