Bausch & Lomb Introduces the Crystalens Aspheric Optic (AO) Lens

ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. -- Bausch & Lomb today announced that it is launching the Crystalens AO, the first aberration-free accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with aspheric optics to cataract surgeons worldwide. The announcement follows the recent FDA approval of this newest Bausch & Lomb surgical product. The Crystalens AO, combined with the successful Crystalens HD and the Crystalens Five-0, will further establish Crystalens as the market leader in the premium IOL market.

The Crystalens AO has prolate aspheric surfaces and is designed to be free of spherical aberration. It is designed to improve retinal image quality without compromising depth of field and therefore provides greater quality of distance and intermediate vision.

“We are confident the Crystalens AO is an important addition to the Crystalens portfolio and along with Crystalens HD and Crystalens Five-0 will further establish Crystalens as the gold standard for quality of vision in the premium channel. Some surgeons might assume because the Crystalens has aspheric optics, depth of field will be reduced. However, our comprehensive testing demonstrates the opposite to be true. Not all aspheric lenses are created the same, and other aspheric IOLs have negative spherical aberration, which could reduce depth of field. The Crystalens AO has zero spherical aberration, and the combination of the Crystalens platform and AO optics work together to enhance depth of field,” said Andy Corley, global president, Surgical, Bausch & Lomb.

Crystalens is the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens. Unlike a standard cataract replacement lens, Crystalens is designed to not only eliminate a patient’s cataract but to provide a full range of vision so that the patient can see near, far and everywhere in between. Many Crystalens patients hardly, if ever, need their glasses after surgery. The Crystalens AO takes the best of Bausch & Lomb’s heritage of aspheric optics and combines it with the company’s Crystalens platform.

“The Crystalens AO provides patients an opportunity to enjoy improved post-operative vision through an increase in contrast sensitivity due to the absence of spherical and higher order aberrations. This, along with the general consensus that the best technology for treatment of presbyopic patients is an accommodating lens, will encourage many surgeons to adopt this new product,” said Jay Pepose, MD, PhD, of the Pepose Vision Institute St. Louis, Mo.

There are three million cataract surgeries every year in the U.S. A cataract is a clouding of the normal clear lens in the eye. When a cataract forms, the natural lens in the eye is replaced by an intraocular lens. The Crystalens is an intraocular lens that is designed not only to fix a patient’s cataract, but to help improve the patient’s full range of vision.

“We know that many surgeons prefer aspheric lenses because they believe that they correct for spherical aberrations and provide better quality of vision. We believe that the Crystalens AO will be viewed very favorably to competitive lenses and will be attractive to a wider range of surgeons and patients,” said Amy Jacobs, director of Global Marketing for the Crystalens.

The Crystalens AO is comprised of proprietary biosil silicone and has a thin and uninterrupted barrier edge. It will be inserted using the CI-28 injector in a controlled manner through an un-enlarged phaco incision which is a routine requirement in today’s cataract surgical procedure.

The Crystalens AO worldwide launch is expected to accelerate through the first quarter of 2010.