Toric ICL safe, effective in Asian eyes

HANOI, Vietnam — The Toric ICL from STAAR Surgical appears safe and effective for use in Asian eyes, according to a study presented here at the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

John Chang, MD, reported good results in 34 eyes of 23 patients implanted with the Toric ICL, especially in eyes treated for high myopia.

"The majority of patients are seeing 20/40 or better 3 hours after surgery," Dr. Chang said. All eyes were stable at 3 months, with all eyes within 0.5 D of intended refraction, he noted.

In addition, there was a stable mean manifest refraction spherical equivalent, with no initial overcorrection and no problems with fluctuations in IOP. Also, among patients with a preoperative refractive error of -12 D, all achieved 20/30 uncorrected vision, he said.

"The stability is impressive," Dr. Chang said. "I prefer implanting the Toric ICL over LASIK for high myopes."

The advantages of Toric ICL implantation include that the surgery can be completed in less than 10 minutes, patients can be scheduled for surgery during a routine cataract rotation, patients can see well within 3 hours and full target vision is achieved 1 to 2 days postop, Dr. Chang said.

Other advantages include a short surgical learning curve and minimal night vision problems. In addition, the lens can be relatively easily explanted if there are any problems, he said.

Among the disadvantages, Dr. Chang noted that sizing the lens can be difficult and it is expensive.