Objective  To evaluate the visual acuity and the rate of spectacle independence after implantation with ReSTOR multifocal intraocular lenses （MIOLs） in myopes， emmetropes and hyperopes. Methods  It was a prospective clinical study. Twenty-eight patients （42 eyes） with age-related cataract were implanted with ReSTOR MIOLs after phacoemulsification. The 42 eyes were classified as emmetropic， myopic or hyperopic based on axial length. Uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity for far， intermediate （with high and low contrast sensitivity） and near vision were compared at 6 months after surgery. The predictability of 3 different formula calculations were evaluated. Patients were asked to rate photic phenomena， quality of night vision， spectacle independence， and satisfaction with visual outcome by answering a questionnaire. The data were analyzed with an ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results  Uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity for near， intermediate， and far vision were not significantly different among groups， but the intermediate visual acuity， especially low contrast sensitivity， was lower than far and near visual acuity. Postoperative residual refractive errors for the three groups were significantly difference （F=8.33， P＜0.05）. In the myopic group， there was a statisitically significant difference between the actual postoperative refractive error and the predicted refractive error calculated by the Haigis  and Holladay I formulas （P＜0.05）； the actual postoperative refractive error did not differ significantly from the predicted refractive error calculated by the SRK-T formula. Satisfaction with intermediate vision was lower in the hyperopic group than in the others， and the difference was statistically significant （P＜0.05）. The differences in the percentage of time without glasses and adverse visual symptoms such as glare and halo after surgery were not statistically significant among the 3 groups. Conclusion  Preoperative refractive status is a relevant factor influencing the postoperative outcome after implantation of ReSTOR MIOLs.