Clareon Vivity edges TECNIS PureSee comparison

Cataract lens choice has turned into a very specific tradeoff. Surgeons are no longer just picking between a plain monofocal and a glare-heavy multifocal. They’re often choosing between “softer” premium lenses that promise more range without too much visual baggage. The new head-to-head comparison between Clareon Vivity and TECNIS PureSee matters because it gets at the real question in clinic — which lens gives the more useful day-to-day vision, and where does each one give something up? ### What are these lenses actually trying to do? Both lenses sit in the extended-depth-of-focus bucket, even if the marketing language differs a bit. The goal is simple — stretch functional vision beyond distance so patients can handle intermediate tasks like dashboards, cooking, and computer work, while keeping halos and contrast penalties lower than classic multifocals. Vivity does that with a non-diffractive wavefront-shaping design, while PureSee is positioned as a purely refractive presbyopia-correcting option. (dovepress.com) ### What changed with this comparison? The useful part is that this was a direct clinical comparison, not two separate studies with different methods. The retrospective cohort included 106 eyes from 72 patients after routine phacoemulsification, then checked distance, intermediate, and near acuity, along with defocus performance, contrast sensitivity, refractive outcomes, and internal aberration behavior over the first 3 months. That gives surgeons a cleaner apples-to-apples read than the usual brochure-level claims. (dovepress.com) ### Where did Vivity come out ahead? Vivity’s edge was intermediate vision and stability. In the published comparison, it performed better at uncorrected intermediate visual acuity around 80 cm, showed a broader functional defocus range, and had lower coma variability. That last point sounds technical, but basically it means the optical system looked less jittery when the eye wasn’t perfectly ideal. If your patient cares most about monitor distance and a smoother visual envelope, that is the strongest argument for Vivity. (tandfonline.com) ### Where did PureSee look better? PureSee’s best showing was near — especially early. The same paper says PureSee had better monocular uncorrected near vision at 40 cm at the 1-month mark, while refractive accuracy and contrast sensitivity were otherwise comparable between the two groups. So this was not a blowout. It was more like a lens with a stronger intermediate and stability profile versus a lens that gives a little more near help out of the gate. (dovepress.com) ### Does bench testing line up with that? Mostly, yes. A 2025 laboratory study found both lenses improved intermediate visual function, but it also showed they behave differently under decentration, tilt, and light-distribution testing. Bench work never replaces patient outcomes, but it helps explain why two “low-phenomena” lenses can still feel different in practice. One design may be a bit more forgiving when the eye is not optically pristine. (dovepress.com) ### So is Vivity just better? Not exactly. “Better” depends on the patient’s priority. If the target is dependable intermediate performance with minimal optical drama, Vivity now has stronger direct comparison support. If the patient keeps asking about phone distance or closer near tasks — and is willing to accept that the intermediate gap may narrow less cleanly — PureSee still has a real case. The important shift is that these lenses are close enough that selection can be more intentional and less brand-driven. (nature.com) ### What should surgeons take from this? Think in working distances, not labels. “Enhanced monofocal,” “EDoF,” and “non-diffractive” are useful shorthand, but the practical decision is about where you want the visual curve to sit and how much optical stability you need in routine eyes. This comparison suggests Vivity edges PureSee when intermediate range and tolerance matter most, while PureSee keeps an argument for early near. (dovepress.com) ### Bottom line? The gap between these newer premium lenses is narrower than the sales decks imply. But this paper gives Vivity the cleaner win on the metric many cataract patients notice most after surgery — comfortable, stable vision in the middle distance. (dovepress.com)