Mobility is the key to corneal surgery

Ziemer has launched a new corneal surgery model to expand the capabilities of its LDV Femtosecond laser system.

The LDV system has been in the market for the last two years and according to Anton Wirthlin, vice president of marketing and corporate communications, has been very successful, with Ziemer selling 150 systems worldwide and treating more than 200,000 eyes.

“Word has got out. We have earned a reputation as a high-tech flap maker delivering perfect incisions. Doctors are reporting very positive outcomes, with strong-short term results leading to patients going away happy and making subsequent referrals.”

Ziemer hopes to match this clinical success with the mobility of the LDV system to expand doctor’s capabilities in the corneal surgery market.

Although Femtosecond lasers have been in routine use in refractive surgery for several years, the bulk of and inflexibility of the equipment is perceived as an obstacle to more widespread use in corneal applications.

According to Wirthlin, Ziemer's Femto LDV system is the only femtosecond laser that is compact and mobile enough to really facilitate both refractive and corneal usage. “A laser can't really do both LASIK and corneal surgery if it is stationary. It will be capable of doing both, but it's not practical if it can't be moved around.“

Ziemer's new corneal surgery module enables surgeons to perform tunnel incisions for intracorneal rings, pocket incisions for intrastromnal inlays corneal inlays and lamellar keratoplasty.