Multifocal lens promising alternative to telescopic implants

Sathish Srinivasan MD addressing the 2017 AAO meeting in New Orleans A multifocal lens in clinical trials in Europe has restored functional near vision without sacrificing distance vision in 35 patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration, Sathish Srinivasan MD told the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2017 meeting in New Orleans. Other advantages of the sulcus-supported Scharioth Macula Lens over telescopic implants include insertion through a much smaller incision, greater tolerance of decentration and complete reversibility, Dr Srinivasan said. And because it does not require cataract surgery, the lens may be implanted in phakic patients. The hydrophilic acrylic Scharioth lens consists of a 6.0mm optic with a 1.5mm central +10.0D add supported by four haptics. It can be inserted through a 2.2mm incision, compared with 6.0mm to 12.0mm for telescopic devices, Dr Srinivasan noted. To date, 35 patients with dry or inactive wet macular degeneration have been implanted. Three months after surgery, mean corrected distance visual acuity was 0.18 decimal, or about 20/110 – identical with mean pre-operative values. Mean uncorrected near vision acuity at 15cm was nearly 0.7, or about 20/30 three months after surgery, up from corrected near acuity values of about 0.25 with a +2.5D add at 40cm, and 0.6 with a +6.0D add at 15cm, Dr Srinivasan said. These gains were sustained for 25 patients with 12 months follow up. Intraocular pressure remained stable out to 12 months in all patients, and no cases of iris capture, chafing or dislocation were reported. However, three patients reported distance vision issues including glare and halos, leading to explanation in two cases, and vitreous loss occurred during implantation in one patient.

Tags: ASCRS 2017