Apr 26 2014
Calhoun Vision, developer of a revolutionary ocular technology that is designed to allow cataract surgeons to adjust the power of a lens after it has been implanted in the eye, has announced that its Light Adjustable Lens (LAL®) will be the subject of five presentations at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Symposium and Congress in Boston, April 25-29, 2014.
The LAL is the world’s first intraocular lens that is intended to be modified in one or two visits after it is implanted with the goal of tailoring refractive power to a patient’s specific, individual needs.
The following clinical presentations will take place on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, in Room 151B at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center:
- “Long-Term Astigmatism Outcomes with UV-Light-Adjustable IOL” presented by Professor Fritz Hengerer, M.D., Goethe-University Frankfurt in Germany, at 8:23 a.m.;
- “Astigmatism Correction with the Light-Adjustable Lens” presented by Steven D. Vold, M.D., of Vold Vision, PLLC in Arkansas, at 8:28 a.m.;
- “Light-Adjustable Lens: Clinical Results and Case Reports” presented by Robert P. Rivera, M.D. Hoopes Vision in Utah, at 2:01 p.m.;
- “Light-Adjustable Lens: Pre-Adjustment Versus Post-Adjustment and Refractive Results” presented by Doyle Stulting, M.D., Ph.D., Woolfson Eye Institute in Atlanta, at 2:06 p.m.; and
- “Aspheric Near Vision Solution Outcomes with Light-Adjustable IOL” presented by Arturo Chayet, M.D., Codet Vision Institute in San Diego, Calif., and Tijuana, Mexico, at 2:11 p.m.
Calhoun Vision’s LAL system employs a unique combination of Calhoun Vision’s LALs, which contain proprietary biocompatible, photosensitive materials called macromers, and its customized digital light source. The LAL treatment process involves implanting the lens using standard cataract surgery procedure and allowing the eye to heal for 17 to 21 days. When the patient returns for a follow-up visit, the lens is exposed to the light source, which causes the macromers to react and change the shape – and therefore the power – of the lens. Once the LAL has been adjusted with feedback from the patient, it is designed to be “locked” in place with a further light treatment.
Peer-reviewed published clinical data from a German study of 121 patients with 18-month follow-up demonstrated that 88 percent of subjects who received the LAL achieved distance vision of 20/20 or better without glasses.1 In the same study, 97 percent of treated eyes came within one quarter diopter of the intended refractive target.1 The LAL is also being studied clinically as an investigational device in the U.S. to assess, in part, whether the published performance results can be replicated.
“Traditionally, clinicians have had to rely on pre-operative selection of the lens that is right for the patient, but outcomes have been difficult to predict because of issues associated with eye measurements, astigmatism and wound healing following surgery,” said D. Verne Sharma, chairman and chief executive officer of Calhoun Vision. “We have been working for some time on a unique way to address these issues, which is to allow surgeons to adjust the power of a lens after it has been implanted, the eye has healed and the patient’s vision is stable. We believe the clinical data being presented at ASCRS by various researchers showcases the progress we have made in dramatically advancing the technology, and our ongoing commitment to the category and to patients who are looking to optimize their uncorrected visual quality after lens implant surgery.”
Calhoun Vision’s LAL is an investigational device that is currently in Phase III clinical trials in the United States. It has CE Mark approval and is commercially available to patients in several European countries as well as in Mexico.