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New post-LASIK shield allows for immediate visual function
The ability to swiftly return to good vision postoperatively can assuage patients’ anxiety about the surgical result.
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The Nexis shield is proving to speed recovery and immediately return significant functional vision to patients after LASIK or PRK, according to two practitioners who have experience with the shield.
“The Nexis shield [by NexisVision] has a thicker and slightly stiffer center optic and a thinner, softer periphery,” Kevin M. Reeder, OD, said in an interview with Primary Care Optometry News. “This shield enables faster recovery of the corneal tissue and better visual acuity postoperatively.”
Kevin M. Reeder
The shield is made of a proprietary material that is oxygen permeable and water impermeable, Sandy T.Feldman, MD, MS, told PCON in an interview.
Sandy T. Feldman
It allows for a smooth surface after LASIK, which, in turn, accounts for better visual acuity immediately after surgery, according to Reeder.
“It’s different from a standard soft bandage lens,” he said. “The standard soft or hybrid lens tends to move around on the postoperative eye, which can be less comfortable. The Nexis doesn’t move.”
“The fit is customized for the patient’s corneal shape after LASIK and is fit tightly so it does not move,” Feldman said. “It is removed either 4 hours after surgery or the next day.”
The process of fitting the shield involves using preoperative keratometric data from a topographer to order a custom curve designed shield with a fixed diameter, Reeder said. The shield is removed from a sterile tube using forceps and applied onto a dry, postoperative cornea immediately by the surgeon at the end of the refractive procedure.
“We’re always looking for improvements that make LASIK less fearful for our patients,” Feldman said. “People are always worried about having surgery on their eyes and what their vision is going to be like afterwards. The nice thing with the Nexis shield is that they can see immediately postop, and that relieves a lot of worry.
“Normally after LASIK, you put a goggle over the eye and the patient goes home to nap for a few hours,” Feldman continued, “which we tell them to do to get them through the 4 to 6 more hours of scratchy, watery eyes and cloudy vision.”
Feldman said that most patients on whom the Nexis shield is applied report that they are able to text immediately after surgery. Most also feel comfortable enough to drive after about 2 hours.
“They can get back to their life faster,” Feldman said. “According to studies, the Nexis shield also seems to promote a faster dehydration of the cornea after LASIK, which is responsible for the faster visual recovery time.”
Another significant advantage for the patient is not having to wear goggles after surgery, Reeder said, which patients enjoy.
The only drawback to using the shield is that it requires additional time for removal, he said. The only contraindication is if the proper shield size is not available.
“Nexis provides higher patient satisfaction due to the improved ability to return to work or normal activities,” Reeder said. “This improved productivity will lead to positive postop outcomes, which, in turn, lead to satisfied patients who refer friends and family.
“This technology also puts ODs at the forefront of treatment options,” he added.
The Nexis shield had a limited commercial launch in 2012 for some of the top refractive surgery clinics in the U.S., but is not yet widely available, according to Reeder. – by Daniel R. Morgan
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Disclosures: Feldman has a financial interest in Nexis Vision. Reeder has no relevant financial interests.