Based on technology developed by researchers from UCSF and Cal Tech, Calhoun Vision, Inc. is developing a photosensitive silicone intraocular lens. This lens can be adjusted non-invasively, weeks after surgery -- with a low-power source of light to eliminate refractive errors post implantation.
Preliminary findings regarding this technology are being presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in Philadelphia June 1-5, 2002.
Currently, patients experience refractive errors after cataract surgery because of unpredictable wound healing, inaccuracies in pre-operative measurements of ocular dimensions, or pre-existing corneal disorders such as astigmatism. With this technology, we can make power adjustments after the lens is in place, wound healing has occurred, and the eye is stabilized, said Daniel Schwartz, MD, UCSF associate professor of ophthalmology, director of the UCSF retina division and a co-inventor of the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL).
As currently envisioned, the procedure will be relatively simple. The surgeon would implant the LAL using standard surgical techniques. When the eye has healed after two to four weeks, the patient returns to have the lens customized. By directing a cool, low intensity beam of light onto the lens, the surgeon would precisely adjust the lens power to the patients specific needs. The lens material is photosensitive and designed to respond in a predictable manner according to the duration and intensity of light delivered, said Schwartz.
Initial human trials are expected to begin in the summer of 2002. U.S. clinical trials will follow only with FDA approval. It is anticipated that the lens will be available commercially in Europe in late 2
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Contact: Maureen McInaney
mmcinaney@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
2-Jun-2002