AMO provides refractive, cataract update at media briefing

April 17 - Washington, DC - With the recent acquisition of VISX and last month's FDA approval of its ReZoom multifocal refractive lens, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) appears to be experiencing "some exciting times" in ophthalmology.

In a press briefing for the ophthalmic media Saturday, AMO presented an update on the latest technology that is surfacing from the company. Chris Calcaterra, vice president of sales and marketing for AMO, introduced a panel of ophthalmic surgeons who provided a brief synopsis of the company's products and how the technology is fitting within their practices.

Kerry Solomon, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina, kicked off the briefing by outlining the refractive market and the role AMO plays. Dr. Solomon addressed how far the refractive market has progressed over the last 3 years.

Dr. Solomon presented comparative data for Amadeus II and the IntraLase femtosecond laser in regard to postoperative recovery. The data looked at the two keratomes in regard to dry eye, corneal staining, corneal sensation, contrast sensitivity, and patient satisfaction. Dr. Solomon demonstrated how Amadeus II equaled or surpassed the femtosecond laser in those areas.

The Amadeus II now has an Epi-LASIK head and it can be used to perform lamellar surgery for corneal transplantations.

Dr. Solomon then moved onto phakic IOLs, pointing out the success of the Verisyse lens among refractive surgeons, citing the results of the recent ASCRS 2004 Survey on the U.S. Trends in Refractive Surgery. He also provided product specifications for the recently approved ReZoom lens, a hydrophobic acrylic lens, and the Tecnis Z9000 multifocal lens, which is not yet approved in the United States.

Aron Rose, MD, of Yale University, gave a phacoemulsification update, and added that the new innovations in cataract surgery over the last year have changed the way he does surgery.

Dr. Rose discussed the features of the Sovereign phacoemulsification machine with WhiteStar Technology and outlined the differences between WhiteStar and traditional phacoemulsification with ultrasound.

At this ASCRS meeting, AMO is introducing new WhiteStar software, v6.0.Dr. Rose also discussed bimanual phacoemulsification and how AMO's updated sleeveless phaco probe allows physicians to attain high vacuum settings and still maintain low thermal temperatures. He added that would be presenting thermal imaging studies on the probe at this year's ASCRS meeting.

In the future, Dr. Rose urged the media to watch for WhiteStar ICE. ICE, which stands for Increased Control and Efficiency, will be a new hardware and software protocol that will increase fluidic control and shape the pulse of the ultrasound. WhiteStar ICE is expected for release later this year.

Y. Ralph Chu, MD, of Edina, tackled AMO's line of IOLs, highlighting the features of Sensar, ClariFlex with OptiEdge, and Tecnis. He also discussed the features of IOL injectors, the Silver Series, and the new Emerald XL models.

Dr. Chu presented data on how the Opti-Edge reduces helps reduce glare. He pointed out the lens has a new Model C, a modification that has a "roughening to the edge."Finally, Dr. Chu discussed how the wavefront-corrected Tecnis Z9000 IOL offers advances in vehicular safety. He said the Tecnis lens is the only lens with an FDA indication for night driving and low-light situations.

Robert Osher, MD, of the University of Cincinnati, reviewed ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) and how the Healon family of OVDs has evolved over the last 25 years. Since Dr. Osher has seen Healon evolve over that time, he believes that the OVD is the most advanced surgical tool that an ophthalmic surgeon can have,

Dr. Osher said that Healon 5 is the perfect surgical partner when it comes to keeping corneas clear, in improving surgical performance with the new refractive lenses, and in performing cataract surgery on patients who are being treated with Flomax. He showed a video on how Healon 5 was able to limit iris movement while he performed surgery on a cataract patient who was taking Flomax.

Thomas Samuelson, MD, of Minneapolis, concluded the briefing be discussing features of the Baerveldt Glaucoma Implant and his surgical technique for implanting the glaucoma drainage device. Dr. Samuelson also reviewed the dynamics of the aqueous humor and how IOP effects the aqueous humor.

With the basics outlined, he presented reasons why a physician would use an implant and the benefits of the Baerveldt implant.