WaveTec Vision’s ORA System with Optiwave Technology Provides Better Results for Cataract Surgery

WaveTec Vision is reporting record sales and procedures performed with its proprietary ORA System™, a diagnostic device that brings unprecedented precision and better results to cataract surgery. The company announced today that its technology has helped deliver extraordinary results for more than 55,000 cataract procedures.

Relied upon by nearly 400 high-volume cataract surgeons nationwide, the ORA System has been proven to significantly improve post-op outcomes compared to in-office biometry and IOL formulas: Nearly 80 percent of ORA-guided patients are within 0.50 diopter of intended visual outcome post-op, compared to 60 percent with traditional cataract surgery. ORA also is proven to be particularly effective managing outliers, reducing -- by as much as two to five times -- the need for a follow-up or enhancement procedure.

The ORA System utilizes Optiwave™ technology with a precise new light source and optics that take intraoperative wavefront aberrometry to a new level of performance, including a clinically demonstrated ability to measure an aphakic eye. A full 90 percent of cataract surgeons using ORA believe it directly contributes to improving their patients' refractive outcomes and would recommend it to a colleague.

"The market is embracing this breakthrough rapidly. On average, our physician customers perform nearly 40 ORA procedures per month, and have come to depend on our precision technology," said Tom Frinzi, WaveTec President and CEO. "This translates into a continued validation of the scientific, clinical and 'real world' potential of the ORA System to provide surgeons superior refractive cataract outcomes."

In addition to this news, WaveTec is also estimating that with its recent growth, annual procedure volume should exceed 50,000 cataract surgeries per year as surgeons increasingly use the leading technology of the ORA System, said Frinzi.

The ORA System with Optiwave technology is the best-tested, refined and optimized wavefront aberrometer available, offering:

• Trusted SLED technology that enhances the quality of the wavefront image to improve accuracy of the measurement, ensuring better outcomes for more cataract patients.
• Precision lenses that optimize the consistency of the wavefront image, also ensuring accuracy and better outcomes for patients.
• Optimized algorithms that help improve the accuracy of intraoperative refractive measurement, providing increased confidence in a surgeon's IOL selection.
• A system-aligned, on-demand reticle that guides intraoperative astigmatic correction, providing axial guidance for use during toric lens and LRI placement.
• A full-field of view including a live video display of the eye to visually confirm quality captures, enabling surgeons to see and diagnose erroneous measurements as a result of external interference.
• Easy, one-step alignment for faster refractive measurement of patients, reducing staff downtime.