Clareon Vivity is a non-diffractive extended depth of focus (EDOF) lens. Instead of splitting light into separate focal points like a trifocal, it gently stretches a single focus to cover distance and intermediate (computer) range. The pay-off is monofocal-grade contrast and night vision with very few halos — most patients still use thin reading glasses for small print.
What is Clareon Vivity?
Vivity uses Alcon’s X-WAVE technology — two smooth, non-diffractive wavefront-shaping elements on the lens surface that elongate and shift the focus rather than dividing the light. Because no light is lost to multiple foci, Vivity delivers contrast and night-time quality close to a standard monofocal, with markedly lower halo and starburst than a true trifocal. The trade-off is around one to two lines less uncorrected near vision than a PanOptix Pro trifocal.
It is built on the glistening-free Clareon material and can be implanted during cataract surgery or as a refractive lens exchange in presbyopic patients in their 50s and 60s. Because Vivity preserves contrast and does not split light, it is often the preferred premium lens in eyes with early dry macular changes, mild glaucoma or mild ocular surface disease.
Vivity vs the alternatives
Choosing a premium lens is a trade-off between how much near vision you want without glasses and how clean you want your night vision. Vivity sits firmly on the clean-night-vision end.
Want monofocal-quality night vision without giving up your computer-range sight? Vivity may be the lens for you — a consultant assessment confirms it.
Book your lens assessmentHow the procedure works
Vivity is implanted during day-case cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange under topical anaesthetic. Through a 2.2–2.4mm incision the surgeon removes the natural lens by phacoemulsification and places the pre-loaded Clareon Vivity (or Vivity Toric) into the capsular bag, aligning the toric axis where needed. Each eye takes about 15–20 minutes of surgical time, and you are usually in hospital for two to three hours including admission, preparation and a short recovery before discharge.
The result depends on accurate planning. Biometry uses the IOLMaster 700 with corneal topography and tomography, plus a macular OCT, and the lens power is chosen on modern formulae. A mini-monovision target of −0.50 to −0.75 D on the non-dominant eye can be used to push uncorrected near vision a little further when you want to minimise reading glasses. The Vivity Toric variant corrects 0.75–4.5 D of regular corneal astigmatism.
Recovery timeline
First 24–48 hours
Distance and intermediate vision come into focus quickly. The eye may feel gritty and look slightly red; you start your antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drops.
First 1–2 weeks
Most people return to normal activities and screen work within a few days. Any faint spider-web around point lights at night usually fades quickly.
4–6 weeks
The refraction stabilises and the second eye is typically treated, balancing your vision across the full range.
3 months
Neural adaptation completes and the final review confirms the outcome. Reading glasses for small print are an expected, planned-for part of the result.
Cost of Clareon Vivity in the UK
Self-pay Clareon Vivity cataract surgery is £3,950–£4,800 per eye in 2026 for the standard non-toric lens, and £4,450–£5,300 per eye for the Vivity Toric in eyes with more than 0.75 D of regular corneal astigmatism. Femtosecond laser-assisted surgery with Vivity is £4,950–£5,800 per eye. The fee is all-inclusive of the consultant assessment, IOLMaster 700 biometry and corneal scans, the day-case procedure with the lens, and your reviews to the 3-month mark. See the full price list to compare every lens option side by side.
Clareon Vivity FAQs
Self-pay Clareon Vivity cataract surgery in the UK in 2026 is typically £3,950–£4,800 per eye for the standard non-toric lens with manual phacoemulsification, and £4,450–£5,300 per eye for the toric variant in eyes with more than 0.75 dioptres of regular corneal astigmatism. Femtosecond-laser-assisted cataract surgery with Vivity is £4,950–£5,800 per eye.
No. The NHS commissions cataract surgery with a standard monofocal lens targeted at distance, and premium presbyopia-correcting lenses such as Vivity are not routinely funded. Vivity is accessed through private cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange in the UK.
Most Vivity patients are spectacle-independent for distance and intermediate vision and use thin reading glasses for small print, restaurant menus and prolonged near work. A mini-monovision target of −0.50 to −0.75 dioptres on the non-dominant eye reduces near-glasses dependence further, at a small cost in stereo acuity.
Vivity uses two smooth wavefront-shaping transition elements rather than diffractive rings, so it does not split incoming light into multiple discrete focal points. The result is monofocal-grade contrast and night quality and lower halo and glare than a true trifocal, at the cost of about one to two lines of uncorrected near acuity compared with a PanOptix Pro or similar.
Most Vivity patients describe night-time halo and starburst as low and similar to a standard monofocal, with a faint spider-web or short tail around point lights in the early weeks that typically neuroadapts within 3 months. Severe disabling dysphotopsia is uncommon and is a recognised reason to consider lens exchange where it does not settle.
Vivity is often the preferred premium lens in eyes with early dry age-related macular changes, mild glaucoma or mild ocular surface disease because it preserves contrast and does not split light into multiple foci. Significant macular pathology, advanced glaucoma and amblyopia remain indications for a standard monofocal lens.