Microincisional IOL debuts for cataract surgery

Key Points

The lens (Akreos AO Micro Incision Lens, Model MI60L, which will be referred to in the United States as the Akreos MICS IOL, Bausch & Lomb) is a single-piece, hydrophilic acrylic IOL designed specifically for delivery through the 1.8-mm incision used to perform coaxial microincisional cataract surgery (C-MICS) with a proprietary phacoemulsification system (Stellaris Vision Enhancement System, Bausch & Lomb).

John D. Hunkeler, MD, medical director of the Hunkeler Eye Institute, Overland Park, KS, and a clinical professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, is among the first U.S. surgeons with experience implanting the lens.

"The [microincisional IOL] delivers with ease, unfolds nicely, centers well in the capsular bag, and looks beautiful in the eye, both intraoperatively and postoperatively," he said.

"The aberration-free hydrophilic acrylic optic is extremely smooth and clear without having any yellow cast, vacuoles, or glistenings. The material has a low refractive index, and, subsequently, I am yet to have any patient complain of [the] edge glare or temporal darkness syndrome that have been reported with other acrylic IOLs," he continued. "I am finding this lens provides excellent quality of vision with high patient satisfaction."

Dr. Hunkeler said that although several good IOL options are available, this new lens is the only one in the United States that can be delivered through a 1.8-mm incision. As such, it represents a landmark in the evolution of pseudophakic implants, he said.

"The [microincisional IOL] ranks at the top of the list of implant choices today because it is the only IOL available in the United States that is compatible with 1.8-mm C-MICS. It was not that long ago that I thought it would be impossible to perform lens removal and implantation of a quality IOL through an unenlarged 1.8-mm incision," Dr. Hunkeler said.