Oertli proud of new 1.6 mm tip

Oertli proudly showcased their new product that enables coaxial microincision cataract surgery through 1.6 mm: the CO-MICS 2 tip is fully compatible with the firm's existing OS3, SwissTech and CataRhex platforms. This product builds on Oertli's portfolio of instruments that enable surgeons to perform coaxial microincision cataract surgery (CO-MICS), now, through a groundbreaking microincision of 1.6 mm.

"It was a big surprise to doctors when we originally unveiled this at the DOC meeting in Nuremberg," Andreas Bosshard, president of Oertli, told Ophthalmology Times Europe. "Professor Rupert Menapace demonstrated the instrument; he was doing a 1.6 mm incision, and they didn't expect that it would work so smoothly and be so stable. The original CO-MICS tip worked very well but was slower; the new tip is just as efficient through 1.6 mm incisions as it is through larger incisions.

"The new smaller tip requires increased vacuum, but that is the only difference between using the CO-MICS 2 and the earlier tip. Despite the increased vacuum required, the wound remains stable. What doctors experience is, first of all, flexibility - it's such a small tip compared to what they are used to, so it's very easy to manoeuvre in the eye," Mr Bosshard continued. "The other new thing is the bevel, which is 53 degrees, as opposed to 30; this might appear dangerous but actually gives very good holding force.

"The learning curve is minimal: after around three cases, doctors should feel safe using this technique, and by the time they have performed 30 cases, they're just getting faster and faster," said Mr Bosshard. "It's still too early to predict patient satisfaction levels accurately, but I do think that this technique will grow in popularity, because I think that, within the next twelve months, we will see several more lenses that we can insert through incisions this small, even if they are not pre-loaded," he concluded.

The CO-MICS 2 tip is available now.