Q&A: Karolinne M. Rocha discusses the IOL and patient tolerance of residual astigmatism

Ahead of the 2025 American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting held in Orlando, Florida, Johnson & Johnson marked a milestone with 100,000 of its TECNIS ODYSSEY IOLs having been implanted in patients’ eyes since the launch of the IOL in 2024. The IOL is described as a “diffractive full-range of vision (FVR) IOL with a violet-light filter.”¹

This announcement aligned with the presentation of clinical data by Karolinne M. Rocha, MD, PhD, at the AAO meeting.¹ Rocha shared details from her presentation with Ophthalmology Times, highlighting the research into the tolerance of astigmatism and the visual symptoms of patients who received this diffractive FVR IOL with a violet-light filter.¹

Note: The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Ophthalmology Times: You gave a presentation titled, “Optical Phenomena and Tolerance to Simulated Astigmatism of a Violet light filtering Diffractive Full-Range Vision Intraocular Lens” at AAO 2025 in Orlando. Can you highlight a few key points that were shared during your presentation?

Karolinne M. Rocha, MD, PhD: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate how forgiving this lens might be of residual astigmatism, which we tested by inducing astigmatic defocus in 3 different axes. We know from earlier studies that patients tend to tolerate with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism better than any other type, and that proved to be the case here, as well. Patients were able to maintain visual acuity within 1 line of their best-corrected visual acuity even when we induced up to 1.0 D of WTR astigmatic defocus.They could tolerate up to 0.5 D of oblique or ATR astigmatic defocus. We also found relatively low rates of optical phenomena, with 3% of subjects being extremely bothered by halo or starbursts and 7% by glare at night.

OT: Patient satisfaction is a key part of any IOL. What patients benefit most or are most satisfied with this FRV IOL?

Rocha: This is a good lens to offer patients with healthy eyes who are active, who spend a lot of time on digital devices, and who want full spectacle independence. In our study, 96.6% of patients reported never using glasses. Surgeons should exclude patients with retinal or corneal pathology or those who have any other contraindications for a multifocal IOL.

OT: What should ophthalmologists know about this IOL option?

Rocha: A key takeaway is that more than 90% of the Tecnis Odyssey patients achieved visual acuity of 20/40 or better with up to 1.5 D of WTR astigmatism and up to 1.0 D of ATR or oblique astigmatism in our study. However, I want to be clear that I am not suggesting that surgeons don’t need to correct pre-existing corneal astigmatism. It is still important to aim for emmetropia, but it is nice to know that if we miss the target by a little bit, or the eye continues to change with age, that patient can still enjoy very good vision.

OT: As the field of ophthalmology continues to progress, how do new devices and technologies bring hope or solutions to patients?

Rocha: Patients want the same thing they have always wanted: High quality vision at all distances with minimal visual compromise.With advanced new IOLs like the Tecnis Odyssey IOL, we are getting closer and closer to reliably being able to meet that expectation, which is exciting for me as a surgeon. I’m also enthusiastic about new virtual reality simulators that will enable us to show patients in advance what they can expect from options like monovision, a full visual range lens, or an extended depth of focus lens. I think that will help patients make more informed choices.

Reference:

1. Johnson & Johnson Celebrates a Milestone of 100K TECNIS ODYSSEY IOLs Implanted* at the 2025 American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting. Johnson & Johnson. News Release. October 13, 2025. Accessed November 5, 2025. https://www.jnjmedtech.com/en-US/news-events/johnson-johnson-celebrates-milestone-100k-tecnis-odyssey-iols-implanted-2025-american