All About Cataracts

Bausch & Lomb (Rochester, N.Y.) recently announced the U.S. launch of its new Akreos MICS lens, a foldable intraocular lens (IOL) designed for implantation through a 1.8 mm incision during phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

The ability to insert the new acrylic lens through such a small incision offers several potential advantages, including faster healing and less surgically-induced astigmatism, according to the company.

The lens also features aspheric optics designed to reduce spherical aberration and produce excellent post-operative vision. (Spherical aberration is a common higher-order aberration that can degrade vision and cause glare and halos around lights.)

The new Akreos IOL represents a new level of micro-incision cataract surgery (MICS). With most other IOLs used in MICS, an incision of 2.2 mm to 2.75 mm is required.

Prior to phacoemulsification technology, incision sizes of 10 mm or greater were common in cataract surgery, with greater risks of eye infection, delayed healing and other cataract surgery complications.

Because the Akreos MICS lens is a premium IOL, it may increase your cataract surgery cost if you choose this implantable lens for your surgery.

The Akreos MICS is the latest addition to Bausch & Lomb’s Akreos line of IOLs. First introduced in Europe over 10 years ago, more than 3 million Akreos IOLs have been implanted worldwide, according to the company.

In an educational program for cataract surgeons held November 7 in Atlanta, experts described a number of new options for premium cataract surgery. The program was supported by eyecare products manufacturer Bausch & Lomb in association with Ophthalmology Times.

New Cataract Surgery Technologies Promise Safer Outcomes and Better Vision

New technologies for premium cataract surgery discussed during the program included the Stellaris Vision Enhancement System, the Crystalens HD accommodating IOL, and the Akreos aspheric IOL. All these products are produced and marketed by Bausch & Lomb (Rochester, NY).

Stellaris Vision Enhancement System

The Stellaris Vision Enhancement System is a new surgical platform that allows ophthalmologists to perform phacoemulsification cataract surgery with very small incisions (2 mm or smaller). The Stellaris system also has other advanced controls to increase surgical safety and efficiency.

(Phacoemulsification, or “phaco,” is a cataract surgery technique wherein the surgeon uses a small ultrasonic probe to break up the cloudy lens into very small pieces, which are then removed from the eye with suction. Phaco has become the method of choice for most cataract surgeons because it can be performed with much smaller incisions than traditional cataract surgery, speeding recovery time after surgery.)

Crystalens HD Accommodating IOL

The Crystalens HD accommodating IOL is an advanced intraocular lens (IOL) used in cataract surgery. Unlike other IOLs, the Crystalens HD is capable of slight movements within the eye in response to focusing effort. This “accommodation” restores some intermediate and near vision lost to the normal aging change in the eye called presbyopia. The Crystalens HD IOL thereby reduces the need for reading glasses after cataract surgery.

Akreos Aspheric IOL

The Akreos aspheric IOL is a new intraocular lens with advanced optics that recently gained approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. The lens is made of a soft, flexible material (the lens is folded for placement inside the eye and unfolds automatically) and protects the eye’s light-sensitive retina from harmful UV rays from sunlight. The aspheric curves of the Akreos IOL more closely mimic the optics of the eye’s natural lens than other IOLs and thereby provides sharper distortion-free vision, according to the manufacturer.

Multiple Techniques and Lenses for Premium Cataract Surgery

The field of cataract surgery is continually changing and many options are now available for “premium” cataract surgery — surgery that is performed with advanced techniques and/or employs the use of advanced intraocular lenses.

If you are considering cataract surgery, be sure to ask your surgeon about the latest premium cataract surgery techniques and products available. Be aware that premium IOLs may increase your cataract surgery cost.

Bausch & Lomb has received FDA approval to market the Akreos Advanced Optics Aspheric Lens in the United States.

This single-piece, foldable acrylic intraocular lens is designed to be inserted through a standard phaco incision during cataract surgery, according to the company.

The Akreos Advanced Optics (AO) lens is based on the parent lens model Akreos but has aspheric surfaces that are aberration-free, meant to prevent spherical abberations and improve contrast sensitivity in cataract patients’ eyes.