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New accommodating implants expand options for presbyopia correction
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Accommodating lenses will become the preferred method of presbyopia correction, according to a speaker here.
"Current multifocal designs are excellent and can achieve greater than 90% spectacle independence for patients, but in an ideal world, it wouldn't be necessary to split light, which gives us the limitations of these lenses," John A. Hovanesian, MD, FACS, an OSN Cornea/External Disease Board Member, said at Kiawah Eye 2011.
Patients with prior refractive surgery, mild maculopathy and moderate glaucoma are not ideal candidates for multifocal implants because the lenses will further reduce contrast sensitivity, he added.
Beyond the Crystalens AO (Bausch + Lomb), which yields 1.5 D of accommodation in more than 80% of patients, he said newer, not-yet-approved implants such as the dual-optic Synchrony lens (Abbott Medical Optics) will give surgeons more options.
Dr. Hovanesian also highlighted the Tetraflex (Lenstec), the FluidVision (Power Vision), the 1CU (Human Optics) and the NuLens, which are all awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"Accommodating implants like these will certainly eventually become the standard of care among presbyopia-correcting IOLs," he said. " Now is the time to gain some experience with accommodating implants, so you're ready for the future."
- Disclosure: Dr. Hovanesian is a consultant to Abbott Medical Optics and Bausch + Lomb.
