ALISO VIEJO, Calif., March 27, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Eyeonics, the developer and manufacturer of the Crystalens, the
first and only FDA approved accommodating intraocular lens, today
announced the presentation of several independent clinical studies
of the Crystalens and its accommodative function at the 2006 American
Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Symposium. In addition
to the data presented during the Symposium's general session, a
large group of ophthalmic doctors attended Eyeonics' seminar, Breakfast
With Champions: Understanding Accommodative Mechanism of Action
of the Crystalens, before the ASCRS Symposium on Saturday, March
18.
"The Crystalens and its accommodative function were featured
prominently at ASCRS this year, reflecting ophthalmic doctors' heightened
understanding of this singular technology and the great results
it delivers for patients," said J. Andy Corley, Chairman and CEO
of Eyeonics. "We were particularly excited by the evidence of accommodation
presented by Drs. Dell and Waltz, and the superior outcomes compared
with the ReSTOR, ReZoom, and Array multifocals shown by Dr. Lindstrom.
With Crystalens having been implanted in more than 40,000 eyes worldwide,
we believe the marketplace has cast its vote as well. Crystalens
is a popular and clinically proven option for cataract patients
with presbyopia."
General Session Presentations
In a presentation titled, Alternative Options to Provide Full-Spectrum
Vision, author Richard Lindstrom, M.D., founder of the Minnesota
Eye Institute and Adjunct Professor Emeritus at the University of
Minnesota, surveyed the premium IOLs presently in the marketplace.
His investigation shows that Crystalens implants provide better
than 20/40 vision in 100 percent of patients, and J3 vision in 98
percent of patients, and that Crystalens results in the distribution
of 100 percent of light rays for near, intermediate and distance
vision. These results surpassed those for all competing premium
IOLs, and Dr. Lindstrom concluded that Crystalens is the best intraocular
lens for blended vision.
In another presentation, Potential Additional Mechanisms of Accommodation
with the Crystalens IOL, Steven J. Dell, M.D., Medical Director
of Dell Laser Consultants, Austin, Texas, and a well known author
and speaker in ophthalmology, examined why some patients with Crystalens
have better near vision than should be expected for their particular
diopter power, since this level of visual acuity cannot be explained
by the translational movement of the optic alone. Dr. Dell concluded
that optic tilt or flexure may play a role in near acuity and that
this tilt or flexure increases depth of focus. This explains why
some Crystalens patients have better near visual acuity than anticipated
given the degree of forward movement of the optic.
In addition, Kevin Waltz, M.D., presented Accommodative Arching
of the Natural Lens and the Crystalens IOL, in which he presented
his findings from his Tracey wavefront analysis of accommodative
arching or optic flexure. He demonstrated comparisons of wavefront
tracings for near and distance vision for the natural lens and the
Crystalens, and showed similar patterns for both. Dr. Waltz concluded
that the Crystalens works in nearly the same way as the eye's natural
crystalline lens.
About Crystalens
The Crystalens is the result of more than 14 years of research
and development by J. Stuart Cumming, M.D., F.A.C.S., and was approved
by the FDA in November 2003. More than 40,000 lenses have been implanted
worldwide. During clinical trials, all of the patients who received
the Crystalens greatly reduced their need for corrective lenses
or eyeglasses. The patented Crystalens technology is designed to
allow the lens to move in the eye in a manner similar to the natural
lens. By using the eye's muscle to move the lens back and forwards
naturally, patients can focus through a continuous range of vision
including near, far and everywhere in between. All other intraocular
lenses are designed to remain fixed in the eye.
About Eyeonics
Eyeonics is a privately held medical device company headquartered
in Aliso Viejo, California, founded in 1998. Eyeonics is committed
to developing a new class of visual enhancement systems that will
enable patients to see up close, far away and all distances in between.
For more information about Eyeonics, inc. and the Crystalens go
to www.eyeonics.com or www.crystalens.com.
