Achieving optimal outcomes with toric IOLs

Toric IOLs provide an excellent means of correcting pre-existing corneal astigmatism with cataract surgery. Current studies have shown that the combined residual astigmatism and the spheroequivalent error must be less than 0.5 D for the patient to be happy with his uncorrected vision. To achieve this goal, there are three fundamental rules that must be observed.First, you must use an “exact” toric calculator that does not use a constant ratio between the pre-existing corneal astigmatism and the recommended toricity of the IOL. You can easily check this by changing the spheroequivalent power to 10 D and 34 D, and if the same toricity is recommended, it is an “approximation calculator.” The currently available exact toric calculators are the Abbott Medical Optics online calculator, the Alcon Verion System and the Holladay IOL Consultant Program.