The new Bausch and Lomb Akreos MICS lens, already on the market in other countries, is now available for U.S. cataract patients. The lens can be inserted through a tiny, 1.8mm incision, for better wound sealability, reduction in below-the-surface cell loss and reduction in surgery-caused astigmatism, according to the company. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted the New Technology Intraocular Lens designation to the lens for its design that reduces spherical aberration.

A gene associated with the formation of age-related cataract, a leading cause of blindness, has been identified by scientists. According to the study published in the July 31 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics, the EphA2 gene encodes an enzyme that plays a role in the repair of damaged proteins in the eye. However, the expression of the EphA2 gene decreases with age. As a result, damaged proteins can clump together and cause the eye lens to become cloudy, leading to obscured vision.

The U.S. food and Drug Administration has approved safety labeling revisions for Bausch & Lomb, Inc.’s  Retisert (a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant). The new labeling includes warnings based on the now available 3-year clinical reports. Use of the product can cause cataracts which require surgical removal in all phakic eyes within an average 3-year period. About 77% of patients will need drugs to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) within this period, and around 37% of patients may require filtering procedures for controlling elevated IOP.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the pre-market approval to Advanced Medical Optics, Inc.’s Healon D®. To be used as a surgical aid in procedures such as corneal transplant, cataract extraction, glaucoma filtration and implantation of intraocular lens (IOL), the ophthalmic visco-surgical device (OVD) offers incomparable clarity in the field of surgery and protects corneal cells well. Its molecular weight being low, Healon D® stays in place for the entire process of surgery. It ensures safer environment for doctors and patients as it is latex free.

Dr Uday Devgan, a MD, FACS has offered some helpful points to succeed in the presbyopic IOL while going for Cataract surgery. The first thing to be done is post-op emmetropia with the use of precise lens calculations with either immersing ultrasound or the Zeiss IOLMaster, as well as personalization of the A-constant. Selection of the right kind of patients by understanding their expectations is the key to success. Sufficient care has to be taken so that complications are minimized. Producing clear corneas on post-op day 1 is important for patient satisfaction. This can be done by reducing the phaco energy placed into the eye and protecting the cornea with a good quality viscoelastic. Cleaning up the cortex can be done by silicone coated I&A tip. This avoids direct contact of bare metal of I&A tip with the delicate posterior capsule.

Cataract patients would now be able to see everything clearly from near and far with the use of a special type of lens called Crystalens. The lens, that has an ability to be flexible along the muscles of the eye, is the first and only accommodating intraocular lens that has received an FDA approval. Using the natural focusing ability of the eye, Crystalens is the only presbyopia correcting lens which provides a single focal point throughout a continuous range of vision to cataract patients.