Nov 7 2008
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG achieved its 10,000th IOLMaster® placement earlier this month. The IOLMaster® is a diagnostic system to calculate all necessary eye measurements for determining the most appropriate replacement implant lens during cataract surgery, the most frequently performed surgery worldwide. Additionally, the IOLMaster® is a completely non-invasive biometry system that does not make contact with the patient's eye.
Douglas Liva, MD, a Paramus, New Jersey based ophthalmologist, received the landmark 10,000th IOLMaster®. "We chose to invest in the IOLMaster® because it is the most accurate method for determining the best lens for our cataract patients,” said Dr. Liva. “The system is more precise, easier to operate and, ultimately, more comfortable for our patients than immersion ultrasound. For doctors that are implanting premium lenses, this technology is essential to the practice in terms of clinical benefits, technician workflow and patient satisfaction.”
First introduced in September 1999, the IOLMaster® quickly and conveniently measures axial length as well as corneal curvature and anterior chamber depth, all of which are used to identify the most optimum artificial intraocular lens (IOL) for implantation during cataract surgery and other, refractive procedures. Without the IOLMaster®, ophthalmologists must use ultrasound, a diagnostic procedure that is more time consuming, less accurate and less comfortable for the patient.
The IOLMaster® Advanced Technology Software, Version 5, has been available since April 2007 and is even more precise and user-friendly than the first-generation system. Advanced keratometry provides more consistent and faster measurements, greater accuracy, fewer outliers and increased user independency. In two separate studies conducted by Dr. Wolfgang Haigis, and Warren Hill, M.D., more than 95% of all cataract patients were measurable. Using state-of-the-art calculation methods, even IOLs for cataract patients who have previously undergone refractive laser correction can be determined easily.
"Our most recent version of the IOLMaster® is our response to the high demands that patients and doctors place on the results of cataract surgery,” said Dr. Michael Kaschke, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. “Today, when an artificial lens is inserted, it not only has to restore sight but also must facilitate optimum vision without the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. This requires precise measurement and IOL refractive power calculation before surgery- which are exactly what the IOLMaster® offers. “
According to a study conducted by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS, Survey: 2007 Practice Styles and Preferences of U.S. ASCRS Members, David V. Leaming), the IOLMaster® is the instrument of choice for measuring the axial length of the eye among ophthalmologists in the United States, and more than half of American surgeons use the IOLMaster®. In Germany the figure is as high as three out of every four cataract surgeons.
The IOLMaster® is part of the Carl Zeiss Meditec universal workflow system. The new DICOM gateway makes seamless data integration possible and the IOLMaster® can also be connected to the VISUPAC Star storage and review system, the clouded natural lens can be replaced by one of Carl Zeiss' innovative premium IOLs, and Carl Zeiss Meditec’s comprehensive range of products offer postoperative check-ups and care.
According the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 75 million people worldwide have cataracts, a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Cataracts are responsible for 20 million cases of blindness in the world. Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgeries (on outpatient basis) worldwide, with more than 15 million operations carried out per year.