New Hope for Ageing Australians With AMD and Macular Degeneration

Intraocular lens improves vision in first patients in ongoing clinical trial

To date, there have been few options for older Aussies who have poor eyesight due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and who also need cataract surgery. 83-year old Joan Brennan suffered both conditions and her eyesight was so poor, she could no longer read large print books or see the television.

Joan recently received a new intraocular lens (IOL) in each eye to help her vision, only the second such procedure performed in Australia, offered by Dr Chandra Bala PhD, MB BS(Hons), FRANZCO, Head of Surgery with Australia’s largest network of eye clinics, PersonalEYES. Post-procedure, Joan’s vision has improved to the point that she recently suffered a sporting injury from playing bowls. She finds it remarkable that she can now see the jack at the end of the bowling lane. Suffice to say, she has happily returned to a full, active retirement.

Joan received the lenses as part of a cataract surgery trial Dr Bala is conducting with the asymmetric refractive IOL (Lentis High Add lens, LS-313 MF80, Oculentis, Germany) with a +8 add. This theoretically provides x2.4 magnification in the spectacle plane. Dr Bala’s paper (attached), co-written with Dr Kerrie Meades, MB BS(Hons), FRANZCO, was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. It assesses the implantation of the same intraocular lenses in a 73 year-old man.

Unlike the Intraocular Lens for Visually Impaired People and Intraocular Miniature Telescope (IMT) solutions used previously, this is a foldable single piece lens which can be inserted as part of a normal cataract operation through a small 2.2 mm clear corneal wound into the capsular bag with sutureless wound closure. This 11mm acrylic plate lens has a 6mm optic with two portions; a distance segment which occupies approximately 60 per cent of the optic and an asymmetric refractive near segment which occupies the remainder of the optic.

The lens is ordered for each individual patient, aiming to achieve emmetropia with the distance portion. Therefore there is no reduction in navigation vision or reduction in field of view. The lens being close to the nodal point should allow for the x2.4 magnification with a considerably large field of view. This lens is designed to simultaneously project an image of a distance and near object on the retina. Theoretically there is a risk of causing dysphotopsias, however early results show that the absence of macular function prevents this group of patients from perceiving dysphotopsias.

Dr Bala is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at Parramatta Eye Hospital and Day Surgery, and is Clinical Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at UNSW.

For interviews with Dr Chandra Bala and more information, please contact:Eve Hanks | 0414 589 537 | 02 9279 3330 | e: [email protected]

About PersonalEYES

PersonalEYES is Australia’s leading network of eye care clinics, with 12 surgery centres in NSW and ACT. Specialists in corrective eye surgery, personalEYES was established by internationally recognised refractive surgeon Dr Kerrie Meades, the first female ophthalmologist to perform LASIK eye surgery in Australia, and has remained at the forefront of eye care technology and procedures in Australia. In addition, personalEYES’ Donate Glasses program in the Solomon Islands has helped thousands of vision-impaired people through the donation of pre-loved glasses. Visit www.personaleyes.com.au.