Cataracts are clouding of the eye's natural lens, affecting more than half of Americans by age 80. Cataract surgery — removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial one — is among the most common and successful procedures in medicine. Research now focuses on improving lens technology, treating cataracts earlier, and understanding why some people develop them younger.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing extended depth-of-focus and adjustable lenses that reduce dependence on glasses, femtosecond laser systems that make surgery more precise, and eye drops that might dissolve early cataracts without surgery. Researchers are also studying inflammatory pathways and genetic factors that drive cataract formation, particularly in younger people and those with diabetes.
Advanced lens implants
New intraocular lenses aim to provide clear vision at multiple distances without glasses. Trials compare these lenses to standard implants in real-world settings.
Non-surgical treatments
Eye drops containing lanosterol and other compounds are being tested to see if they can dissolve lens proteins and reverse early cataracts. Results have been mixed so far.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on cataract severity, vision loss, age, and whether other eye conditions are present.
What types of trials are currently open
- Lens implant trials — Testing new artificial lenses for distance, near, and intermediate vision. Most compare different lens types after standard cataract removal.
- Surgical technique trials — Comparing laser-assisted surgery to traditional methods, or testing instruments that improve precision during lens removal.
- Prevention trials — Testing vitamins, antioxidants, or medications to slow cataract formation in people at high risk.
- Eye drop trials — Testing drops that aim to dissolve or slow cataracts in early stages, before surgery is needed.
Recently added Cataract trials
Receive combined cataract and glaucoma surgery as initial treatment
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether doing phacoemulsification combined with gonioscopy-assisted trabeculotomy as an initial treatment can reduce the burden of glaucoma eye drops in adults with primary open-angle glaucoma and cataract. It will also learn whether this early surgical strategy improves ocular surface health and vision-related quality of life. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does early combined surgery reduce the need for long-term glaucoma medications? Does early combined surgery improve ocular surface health compared with cataract surgery followed by guideline-based glaucoma eye drops? Does early combined surgery improve vision-related quality of life and anxiety compared with the medication-based treatment strategy? What medical problems or complications do participants have after treatment? Researchers will compare phacoemulsification combined with gonioscopy-assisted trabeculotomy to phacoemulsification followed by guideline-based topical eye pressure-lowering medications. Participants will: Undergo cataract surgery with or without gonioscopy-assisted trabeculotomy Attend follow-up visits for 24 months after treatment Have eye pressure, visual acuity, OCT, AS-OCT, visual field, ocular surface, and safety examinations at scheduled visits Complete quality-of-life and anxiety questionnaires at scheduled visits Provide tear samples at selected visits for biomarker testing where applicable
Evaluation of Visual Outcomes, Complications, and Neuroadaptation Following Bilateral Implantation of enVista Envy Trifocal Intraocular Lenses
The enVista Envy intraocular lens (IOL) manufactured by Bausch + Lomb is a new multifocal intraocular lens based on diffractive optics. It was registered with the Polish Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products in September 2025. The lens also bears the CE mark, indicating that it is approved for marketing and use within the European Union. Its innovative design is based on a smooth, continuous transition between diffractive rings, allowing patients to achieve excellent visual quality at far, intermediate, and near distances while reducing the incidence and severity of unwanted photic phenomena such as glare and halos. Thanks to this technology, patients may achieve better uncorrected visual acuity, reduced dependence on spectacles, and faster neuroadaptation. The Second Department of Ophthalmology is the first center in Poland to be offered participation in a clinical study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the enVista Envy IOL. The planned study will provide the first clinical experience with this lens in Poland and contribute to expanding knowledge regarding modern intraocular lens technologies. Twenty patients will be selected according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Preoperative assessment will include a comprehensive ophthalmic examination and IOL power calculation. Cataract surgery will be performed using bimanual MICS (Micro-Incision Cataract Surgery) phacoemulsification. Surgery in the fellow eye will be performed one month after the first procedure. Before surgery and during follow-up visits at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, the following assessments will be performed: routine ophthalmic examination, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, visual evoked potentials (VEP), monocular and binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), distance best-corrected visual acuity (DBCVA) at 4 meters, intermediate visual acuity (66 cm) and near visual acuity (40 cm), both corrected and uncorrected, monocularly and binocularly (logMAR charts), binocular contrast sensitivity testing, and defocus curve assessment. Intraoperative and postoperative complications, quality of vision (using the standardized Quality of Vision Questionnaire \[QoV\] and the Near Activity Vision Questionnaire \[NAVQ\]), speed of neuroadaptation, spectacle independence, and the occurrence of photic phenomena such as glare and halos will also be analyzed.
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