AcrySof phakic IOL performs well in clinical trial

SAN DIEGO -- An anterior chamber phakic IOL made of a hydrophobic acrylic material is providing good vision to patients in a European clinical trial. The lens, a phakic version of the Alcon AcrySof, has up to 3-year follow-up in the open-label multicenter European study, according to Joseph Colin, MD.

The AcrySof phakic IOL is an anterior chamber angle-supported lens with a 5-mm-diameter meniscus optic and flexible haptics with four-point fixation, he said. To date, 102 of the lenses have been implanted unilaterally in patients with stable high myopia and up to 2 D of astigmatism.

Dr. Colin presented data for eyes that have reached 6-month follow-up at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting last week.

At 6 months, 100% of eyes achieved 20/20 or better vision with correction, Dr. Colin said, and 90% achieved 20/40 uncorrected. Almost 50% of eyes gained 1 line of visual acuity, he said.

Regarding refraction, at 6 months 95% of eyes are within 1 D of target, and 67% are within 0.5 D, Dr. Colin said. Mean cell loss of 2.9% was reported in the study eyes, he added.

Dr. Colin said results with the AcrySof phakic IOL to date exceed Food and Drug Administration guidelines for phakic IOLs. He did not discuss any timeline for submission of data on the lens to the FDA.

Dr. Colin said the white-to-white distance is the basis for the choice of size, but the sizing is not as crucial with the flexible haptics of the AcrySof lens as with more rigid angle-supported IOLs.