Objective: To compare preliminary outcomes of visual acuity (VA), visual quality, and patient satisfaction with trifocal intraocular lens (TIOL) implantation. Methods: This prospective clinical trial enrolling 50 eyes of 44 patients undergoing cataract surgery with implantation of a TIOL (25 eyes of 22 patients) or a monofocal intraocular lens (MIOL) 25 eyes of 22 patients from April 2016 to July 2016 at the Forth Hospital of China Medical University. VA and visual quality were evaluated during a 3-month follow-up and included the uncorrected VA, defocus curve, subjective scattered light, objective scatter index (OSI),modulation transfer function (MTF) cutoff, Sterhl Ratio (SR), and wavefront aberration. A questionnaire was used to evaluate patient satisfaction, independence of glasses, and halo occurrence. Data was assessed by paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed ranks tests, and chi-square tests. Results: Three months after surgery,there was no significant difference between the TIOL and MIOL in distance VA. The intermediate and near VA in the TIOL group were 0.12 ± 0.11 and 0.17 ± 0.11, respectively, and in the MIOL group, 0.28 ± 0.08 and 0.47 ± 0.16, respectively (t=-5.912, P < 0.001, t=-8.504, P < 0.001). OSI for the MIOL was 1.13 ± 0.31 and 2.02 ± 0.93 for the TIOL (t=-3.311, P=0.001). There were no significant differences between the lenses in MTF cutoff, SR, subjective scattered light, or wavefront aberration. The questionnaire showed that the
overall rate of satisfaction and independence of glasses for the TIOL group was higher than for the MIOL group ( χ 2 =4.50, P=0.034; χ 2 =30.65, P < 0.001). The rate of halo occurrence was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: After implantation of TIOL, patients could obtain high visual quality for far, intermediate, and near vision.