ZEISS IOLs Under the Microscope: Mr Mfazo Hove Moderates a Global Clinical Panel at ESCRS London 2026
- Posted
- Medically Reviewed by: Mr Mfazo Hove, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
- Author: Mr Mfazo Hove
- Published: September 7, 2026
- Last Updated: September 7, 2026
This September, one of the world’s largest and most influential cataract and refractive surgery congresses comes to London. The 44th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) takes place at ExCeL London from 11 to 15 September 2026, bringing together more than 15,000 surgeons, researchers and industry specialists from across the globe.
On Sunday 13 September, from 15:00 to 16:00 at the South Event Hall (Booth C.100), Mr Mfazo Hove, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Founder of Blue Fin Vision®, will moderate a dedicated ZEISS session:
“Join us for the latest clinical updates on ZEISS IOLs.”
The panel brings together an international faculty of surgeons who implant these lenses in very different healthcare systems and patient populations:
- Dr Jiwon Jeong, Fatima Eye Clinic, South Korea
- Dr Jascha Wendelstein, IROC, Switzerland
- Mr James Myerscough, Southend University Hospital, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
- Prof Haike Guo, Shanghai Heping Eye Hospital, China
- Dr Javier Coloma, Clínica Baviera, Spain
The premise of the session is simple but important. The rapid development of advanced intraocular lens (IOL) technologies now offers a plethora of options, for surgeons and patients alike. The panel will compare how ZEISS IOLs perform against other lens platforms, drawing on both published clinical data and the truly personal experiences of surgeons who use them every day.
Join us for the latest clinical updates on ZEISS IOLs: Sunday 13 September, 15:00 to 16:00, South Event Hall, Booth C.100, ESCRS London 2026.
Why an IOL Panel Matters to Patients, Not Just Surgeons
Almost every modern cataract or lens replacement operation involves the implantation of an artificial intraocular lens. The surgical technique may take minutes, but the lens is generally intended to remain in the eye for life. Choosing the right lens, matched to the right eye and the right lifestyle, is therefore one of the most consequential decisions in the entire pathway.
Broadly, three families of lens now dominate that decision:
- Monofocal IOLs, which provide a single point of clear focus, most commonly for distance
- Extended depth of focus (EDoF) IOLs, which stretch the range of clear vision from distance into the intermediate zone used for screens, dashboards and cooking
- Trifocal IOLs, which create three focal points for distance, intermediate and near vision, with the aim of substantial spectacle independence
ZEISS manufactures lenses in each of these categories, and its diffractive trifocal and EDoF platforms are supported by a substantial body of peer-reviewed clinical literature.
What the Published Evidence Says
The ZEISS trifocal platform was one of the first trifocal lenses in the world to receive a CE mark, and its evidence base now spans well over a decade. Early prospective work demonstrated that the diffractive trifocal design could deliver excellent uncorrected distance, intermediate and near visual acuity with a high degree of predictability ¹. Subsequent prospective research confirmed that trifocal implantation reliably meets patients’ visual demands across the full range of everyday distances following lens removal ².
Durability matters just as much as early results. A dedicated six-year follow-up study of the ZEISS trifocal lens found that long-term efficacy was equal to or better than the outcomes reported at twelve months, with sustained spectacle independence and 88.9% of respondents saying they would choose to undergo implantation with the same IOL again ³. For patients weighing up lens replacement surgery in their fifties, evidence that satisfaction holds up over the long term is arguably the most reassuring data point of all.
The evidence also extends into more complex eyes. A comparative study from Shanghai Heping Eye Hospital, co-authored by panellist Prof Haike Guo, examined trifocal implantation in highly myopic eyes with axial lengths greater than 26 mm, historically considered challenging territory for multifocal optics. The ZEISS trifocal group achieved significantly better uncorrected intermediate and near visual acuity than the comparator lens group ⁴. Interestingly, not every patient-reported measure favoured the same lens: VF-14 scores, particularly for near-vision quality, were higher in the comparator group. That nuance is important. Modern IOL selection is not about declaring a universal winner; it is about understanding the different strengths and compromises of each optical design and matching them to the individual patient. This is precisely the kind of clinical experience the ZEISS-hosted panel during ESCRS is designed to surface: not just how a lens performs in ideal eyes, but how it behaves at the edges of conventional candidacy.
For patients seeking an extended range of vision without necessarily choosing a trifocal optical strategy, the ZEISS EDoF platform offers a different balance of distance, intermediate and near performance. In a prospective twelve-month study of 30 bilaterally implanted patients, 83% achieved binocular uncorrected distance vision of 20/20 or better, with strong intermediate performance, no reports of severe dysphotopsia and high overall satisfaction ⁵. In practice, the choice between trifocal and EDoF optics is rarely about which lens is “better” in the abstract. It is about which visual profile fits the individual patient’s occupation, hobbies, driving habits and tolerance for compromise.
Clinical Data and Truly Personal Experience
The session’s subtitle deserves attention: comparisons based on “clinical and truly personal experiences.” Published studies establish what a lens can do across a population. Personal surgical experience establishes what it does in the hands of an individual surgeon, in a specific operating environment, in eyes that do not always match trial inclusion criteria.
Mr Hove brings both perspectives to the moderator’s chair. As a ZEISS Key Opinion Leader with more than 57,000 procedures across his surgical career and six consecutive years of published National Ophthalmology Database outcome data, his approach to lens selection has always been anchored in the same principle that underpins the Blue Fin Vision® Doctrine: to achieve the immeasurable, you must measure everything. A lens earns its place on a surgeon’s shelf through published evidence, verified personal outcomes and honest patient-reported experience, never through marketing alone.
That is also why sessions like this one matter. When six surgeons from South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China and Spain compare notes in public, patterns emerge that no single-centre study can capture: which patients thrive with which optics, where dissatisfaction genuinely comes from, and how counselling, biometry and surgical precision combine to turn a good lens into a great outcome.
What This Means for Blue Fin Vision® Patients
For patients considering cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange at Blue Fin Vision®, the practical message is threefold.
First, lens technology has matured. Trifocal and EDoF platforms are no longer experimental; they are supported by long-term, peer-reviewed data extending to six years and beyond ³.
Second, lens selection is individual. The right lens for a 55-year-old architect with early cataract is not necessarily the right lens for a 70-year-old night driver, and a credible assessment must always be capable of recommending the simpler option, or no surgery at all.
Third, your surgeon’s engagement with the global evidence base matters. Moderating an international ZEISS clinical panel during ESCRS is part of the same discipline that produces measured, published, audited outcomes at home.
If you are attending ESCRS London 2026, join the discussion on Sunday 13 September, 15:00 to 16:00, South Event Hall, Booth C.100. If you are a patient wondering what all of this means for your own eyes, a consultation at Blue Fin Vision® is the place to translate global evidence into a personal plan.
Disclosure: Mr Mfazo Hove is a ZEISS Key Opinion Leader and is moderating this ZEISS-hosted session during ESCRS London 2026. Blue Fin Vision® lens recommendations are based on individual clinical suitability and patient visual requirements and are not restricted to ZEISS IOLs.
References
- Mojzis P, Peña-García P, Liehneova I, Ziak P, Alió JL. Outcomes of a new diffractive trifocal intraocular lens. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2014;40(1):60-69.
- Kohnen T, Titke C, Böhm M. Trifocal intraocular lens implantation to treat visual demands in various distances following lens removal. Am J Ophthalmol. 2016;161:71-77.
- Fernández J, Rodríguez-Vallejo M, Martínez J, Burguera N, Piñero DP. Long-term efficacy, visual performance and patient reported outcomes with a trifocal intraocular lens: a six-year follow-up. J Clin Med. 2021;10(9):2009.
- Shen J, Zhang L, Ni S, Cai L, Guo H, Yang J. Comparison of visual outcomes and quality of life in patients with high myopic cataract after implantation of AT LISA tri 839MP and LS-313 MF30 intraocular lenses. J Ophthalmol. 2022;2022:5645752.
- Ganesh S, Brar S, Nikhil RP, Rathod D. Clinical outcomes, contrast sensitivity, reading performance and patient satisfaction following bilateral implantation of AT LARA 829MP EDoF IOLs. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021;15:4247-4257.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Mfazo Hove
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
MBChB MD FRCOphth CertLRS
Mr Mfazo Hove is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon with experience spanning more than 57,000 procedures. He completed 6.5 years of specialist training at Moorfields Eye Hospital and served for five years as a consultant at the Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He is the founder of Blue Fin Vision®, a consultant-led private ophthalmology practice operating across London, Essex, and Hertfordshire. His clinical expertise encompasses advanced cataract surgery, refractive lens replacement, laser vision correction, and implantable Collamer lenses (ICL).
A ZEISS Key Opinion Leader, Mr Hove is a respected international speaker with five invited engagements across seven cities in 2026:
- ZEISS China tour (Changsha, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, April – ZEISS APAC User Meeting)
- RCOphth Annual Congress – May – Manchester
- ZEISS EMEA User Meeting (Istanbul)
- ZEISS Lausanne User Meeting (Lausanne)
- European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Annual Congress (ESCRS, London)
