All About Cataracts

Crystalens HD, an accommodating intraocular lens (IOL), is producing excellent visual outcomes and a high degree of independence from eyeglasses after cataract surgery, according to three European eye surgeons.

The surgeons presented their findings at the 2010 winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, held in Budapest, Hungary, February 12-14.

Mark Tomalla, MD, of Duisburg, Germany, said he has implanted the Crystalens HD accommodating IOL in a series of 48 patients. At the time of his presentation, 17 of these patients had been been evaluated at a 6-month follow-up visit.

Six months after surgery:

• All patients could see clearly in the distance and at arm’s length without glasses.
• 71 percent reported they did not need reading glasses.
• The remaining 29 percent said they needed reading glasses only occasionally.

Angel Lopez-Castro, MD, reported similar results in his surgical implantation of the Crystalens HD after cataract removal in the eyes of 42 patients in Madrid, Spain. He said 80 percent of these patients achieved uncorrected reading vision of 20/25 or better, and all patients had distance vision of 20/20 or better without glasses.

Kristien Vanhoucke, MD, of Mol, Belgium, reported that 6 months after implanting the Crystalens HD in 26 eyes, 90 percent of these patients reported good vision at all distances and freedom from glasses after cataract surgery.

Crystalens HD is the fourth-generation accommodating IOL produced by Bausch & Lomb (Rochester, NY). The company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2008 to market Crystalens HD in the United States.

In January 2010, Bausch & Lomb announced the introduction of Crystalens AO, its latest accommodating IOL that is designed to reduce higher-order aberrations for even sharper vision after cataract removal.

All Crystalens accommodating IOLs are premium intraocular lenses and therefore increase cataract surgery cost. Ask your cataract surgeon for details.

SOURCE: Multiple European clinics report promising accommodating IOL visual outcomes. Ocular Surgery News. Published online February 15, 2010.

Bausch & Lomb today announced the worldwide launch of a new accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with aspheric optics for use in cataract surgery.

The new IOL, called Crystalens AO, is designed to be free of spherical aberration that affects other IOLs and thereby produce sharper vision after cataract surgery. The announcement follows recent FDA approval of the Crystalens AO for use by cataract surgeons in the United States.

The aspheric optical surfaces of Crystalens AO are designed to improve retinal image quality without compromising depth of field, and therefore the new IOL provides higher quality distance and intermediate vision than other IOLs, according to the company.

“The Crystalens AO has zero spherical aberration, and the combination of the Crystalens platform and AO optics work together to enhance depth of field,” says Andy Corley, president of Bausch & Lomb’s global surgical division in a press release issued today by the company.

The Crystalens AO is the latest addition to the Crystalens line of accommodating IOLs produced by Bausch & Lomb, joining the Crystalens HD and the Crystalens Five-O. Currently, Crystalens is the only brand of accommodating IOL that is FDA-approved for use in cataract surgery performed in the United States.

Unlike conventional IOLs, the optical portion of accommodating IOLs can move slightly within the eye in response to focusing effort, to improve not only distance vision, but intermediate and near vision as well, reducing the need for reading glasses after cataract surgery.

Accommodating IOLs are a premium intraocular lens and therefore will increase your cataract surgery cost.

More information about Crystalens accommodating IOLs is available on Bausch & Lomb’s Crystalens website or by calling the company at 1-877-SEE BETTER.

The use of premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) in cataract surgery performed in the United States is increasing, according to recent surveys.

Premium IOLs include multifocal lens implants and accommodating IOLs. Both types of presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses give patients a broader range of vision, reducing or eliminating the need for reading glasses after cataract surgery.

According to a recent survey of cataract and refractive surgeons reported by the eyecare industry research firm Market Scope, 71 percent of U.S. eye surgeons offered their patients the option of premium IOLs in 2008, up from approximately 59 percent in 2007. The company also estimates that 210,000 presbyopia-correcting IOLs were implanted during cataract surgery or other vision correction procedures in the U.S. in 2008, up from 153,000 in 2007.

Eye surgeons also say they prefer premium IOLs for the correction of high myopia. In a 2008 member survey of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) more eye surgeons responding to the survey reported preferring premium IOLs (40 percent) to LASIK (23 percent) for the correction of large amounts of nearsightedness in patients desiring elective refractive surgery.

Among ASCRS surgeons using presbyopia-correcting premium IOLs, their top three lens choices in 2008 were the AcrySof ReSTOR multifocal IOL (Alcon), the Crystalens accommodating IOL (Bausch & Lomb) and the ReZoom Multifocal IOL (Abbott Medical Optics).

Other premium intraocular lenses include toric IOLs that correct astigmatism and aspheric IOLs designed to reduce glare and improve night vision.

Premium IOLs cost more than standard IOLs, and the added expense of these lenses typically is not covered by vision insurance and must be paid out-of-pocket, increasing your cataract surgery cost. However, most people who choose premium IOLs are very pleased with the added visual benefits the lenses provide, according to eye surgeons who offer them.

International eye care company Bausch & Lomb announced today the launch of a new consumer ad campaign for its Crystalens accommodating intraocular lens.

Ads will begin appearing today on national cable television markets in New York, Florida, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ads will also appear in national magazines.

Crystalens is currently the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens (IOL). It is designed to provide a full range of vision after cataract surgery, eliminating the loss of near vision and need for reading glasses caused by presbyopia.

“The advertising encourages patients to talk to their ophthalmologist about whether they are candidates for Crystalens or to visit the Crystalens website to learn more about this exciting vision correction alternative,” said Amy Jacobs, director of Global Marketing for Crystalens, in a press release issued by the company.

“Bad vision doesn’t have to be part of getting older. The Crystalens allows cataract patients the opportunity not just to fix their eyesight, but to make it better,” added Ms. Jacobs.

To learn more about Crystalens, visit the company’s website for the product or call 1-877-SEE-BETTER.