Haag-Streit USA, Alcon to market biometer

Mason, OH

-Haag-Streit USA has appointed Alcon Laboratories Inc. as its exclusive distributor in the United States for an optical biometer (Lenstar LS900).

The arrangement provides “an incredible opportunity to partner with Alcon,” said Dominik Beck, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Haag-Streit USA. Alcon will be responsible for sales of the biometer in the United States, and Haag-Streit will be responsible for installation, ongoing clinical support, and technical service. The device is now available to eye-care professionals directly from Alcon.

The biometer uses optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR), a new method of biometry designed to overcome the limitations of ultrasound and optical biometry by incorporating nine measurements in a single scan in an effort to improve accuracy and accelerate workflow. The nine measurements are on the patient’s visual axis and include pachymetry, keratometry, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, axial length, white-to-white distance, pupillometry, eccentricity of the visual axis, and retinal thickness. The device received FDA approval in October.

“The [optical biometer] technology combined with our infrastructure and service excellence will provide U.S. surgeons better biometry and improved surgical outcomes while gaining more efficient patient flow in a convenient technology package,” said Jim Thomas, Alcon’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Surgical.