Reunion of world's first AcrySof lens implant

Article

A twenty year reunion was held to commemorate the first monofocal AcrySof lens implant operation.

A twenty year reunion was held to commemorate the first monofocal AcrySof lens implant operation.

The procedure was performed by eye surgeon Richard Packard in 1990 on Nellie Diaper at the King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor, UK.

Mr Packard, senior surgeon at the Prince Charles Eye Unit in Windsor and director and consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Arnott Eye Associates, said: “At the time of Nellie’s original operation I had no idea it was going to be momentous. The material was unlike anything I’d ever used before. We were more used to working with silicone rubber and rigid plastic implants in cataract surgery than this new material, which felt sticky and was initially awkward to handle. The lens implanted in Mrs Diaper’s eye was monofocal and the surgery was routine. At the time none of us thought of it as being revolutionary; it was just the start of a clinical trial.”

AcrySof lens is made from a hydrophobic acrylic substance and has been the basis of cataract treatment for 55 million patients over the last 20 years. The lens can be inserted in an incision of approximately 2 mm and has an extremely low level of secondary intervention.

For more information visit www.alconlabs.com/gb or www.acrysofrestor.com

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Anat Loewenstein, MD, Professor and Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, discusses the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology (COPHy)
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
Sarah M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, a veterinary ophthalmologist at UC Davis, talks about how her research at the Glaucoma 360 symposium
I. Paul Singh, MD, an anterior segment and glaucoma specialist, discusses the Glaucoma 360 conference, where he participated in a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in glaucoma care.
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, discusses his Floretina ICOOR presentation topic, retinal non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy, with David Hutton, editor of Ophthalmology Times
Elizabeth Cohen, MD, discusses the Zoster Eye Disease study at the 2024 AAO meeting
Victoria L Tseng, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology and glaucoma specialist, UCLA
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.