Editor's Blog: The year of intraocular lenses (IOLs)

Mark L. Dlugoss, editor-in-chief of Ophthalmology Times (OT), is attending the 2012 congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Milan, Italy. As part of OT’s coverage of the meeting, Dlugoss will provide a daily blog offering his observations during the meeting.

For live coverage of ESCRS, follow @OphthTimes on Twitter. OT Editor-in-Chief Mark Dlugoss will be live tweeting throughout the congress.

Each year, the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) meeting offers something new in the area of technology and clinical applications to whet the appetite of ophthalmic surgeons.

Many companies present new products and technologies for the European market, but they also present these product introductions to serve as a preview for the upcoming American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) meeting that usually follow 6 to 8 weeks later.

In recent years, the femtosecond lasers technology emerged from the podium of the ESCRS; followed a year later with that technology becoming reality on the exhibit hall of both the ESCRS and AAO meetings. Several clinical procedures were introduced at the ESCRS meeting as well.

The 2012 ESCRS meeting is the meeting where many major companies presented new IOLs.

Bausch + Lomb (B+L), STAAR Surgical, and Carl Zeiss Meditec introduced IOLs at ESCRS. Alcon Laboratories officially launched a couple of lenses at the meeting. There are also many smaller IOL companies at ESCRS that may present new and/or improved technologies. Here are some of this year's offerings:

Alcon launched the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR +2.5 D and the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR Multifocal Toric +2.5 D Lenses. The two lenses enhance the AcrySof portfolio of presbyopia-correcting IOLs. The AcrySof +2.5 D multifocal lens is designed to deliver sharp distance vision for cataract patients with distance-dominant visual needs.

B+L, which launched its enVista lens at last year's ESCRS, has created a toric lens for the enVista platform. The enVista Toric Lens is a hydrophobic acrylic IOL that features a single-piece, modified-C haptic design, which, according to the company, delivers superior rotational stability compared with other IOLs. This lens is also glistening-free, the company notes.

Based on its AT LISA design, Carl Zeiss Meditec presented what it calls the next generation of multifocal for an active lifestyle. The AT LISA tri 839MP is the first trifocal, preloaded, microincision cataract surgery IOL for real intermediate vision. The lens offers optimized vision at far, intermediate, and near distances. The cutting-edge trifocal optic presents for highest optical efficiency at day and night.

STAAR introduced the KS-SP Single-Piece Preloaded IOL. Made from a hydrophobic acrylic material, the lens is delivered into the eye within a small incision. The lens is also glistening-free, according to the company. The other lens that the company presented is the nanoFLEX Collamer Toric IOL that incorporates a proprietary aspheric optic design.

This is just a small sampling of lenses that are being presented at the meeting. It also should be noted all these lenses have the CE mark in Europe (and wherever the mark is recognized). However, they are not approved and available in the United States.

For more coverage of ESCRS, follow us on Twitter (@OphthTimes) and keep an eye out for more daily blogs!