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Cataract News

FDA Approves Catalys Laser for Cataract Surgery

SANTA CLARA, Calif., December 2011 — The Catalys Precision Laser System by OptiMedica is now available for use in the United States for cataract surgery.

The system includes a femtosecond laser, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and a proprietary scanning technology.

During cataract surgery, the laser can first perform a capsulotomy (a circular incision in the capsule that contains the eye's natural lens). Then it can perform lens fragmentation, which means segmenting and softening the lens so it is ready for removal.

Laser use during cataract surgery is fairly new. According to cataract surgeons who prefer using a laser, it has the potential to provide more precision in the size, shape and placement of the lens capsule incision. Better placement of the artificial lens may result, leading to a better visual outcome. It may also make lens fragmentation easier. In this video, a cataract surgeon explains how he uses the Catalys.

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Can Cataracts Cause Sleepless Nights?

DARIEN, Ill., September 2011 — By keeping blue light from entering the back of the eye, cataracts may increase the risk of sleep disturbances, says a Danish study.

Blue light helps release the hormone melatonin in the brain, which can help induce sleepiness, so scientists examined the eyes of 970 volunteers to see how much blue light was getting through to their retinas.

They also asked the volunteers about their sleep habits to determine whether they had a sleep disorder and whether they had purchased prescription sleeping pills in the last year.

Higher rates of sleep disorders were most often reported by the older volunteers, women, smokers and diabetics. Including these factors in their calculations, the researchers found a significant link between less blue light transmission and more sleep disturbances.

One of the scientists commented that in other studies sleep has been shown to improve after cataract removal. A report of the study appeared in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.

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Long-Term Risk of IOL Dislocation Is Low, Says Study

ROCHESTER, Minn., July 2011 — Long-term dislocation of intraocular lenses after cataract surgery is not a huge worry, says a recent study.

By examining the records of 14,471 cataract cases in Olmsted County, Minn., occurring from Jan. 1, 1980 through May 31, 2009, researchers calculated the cumulative risk of IOL dislocation at five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years after cataract surgery.

They found that the risk ranged from 0.1 percent to 1.7 percent, figures they considered low.

Also they found that late IOL dislocation sometimes correlated with pseudoexfoliation at the time of surgery. This is when a fluffy material forms on the lens capsule that leads to weakness in the fibers that hold the capsule in place. A report on the study appeared on the American Journal of Ophthalmology website in June.

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Big Growth Predicted in Cataract Cases

CHICAGO, June 2011 — Prevent Blindness America has named June as Cataract Awareness Month, to point out the numerous problems that cataracts cause our population.

The number of cases of macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy combined still don't add up to the number of cases of cataract in the world. Just in the United States, more than 22 million Americans age 40 and older have at least one cataract. About 70 percent of those age 75 have them, and by 2020 more than 30 million Americans will have them.

Risk factors include heredity, smoking, UV light (such as from the sun), eye injury, diabetes and using steroid medications. These factors can contribute to getting a cataract early on, but really, just about everyone will develop cataracts in old age.

Cataract surgery nearly always is successful and in fact is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States. If you notice vision problems such as double vision, blurriness, fogginess, light sensitivity, difficulty seeing in low light or a milky or yellowish look to one of your pupils, get a dilated eye exam right away to see if you have a cataract that should be treated. [Read more about cataract symptoms.]

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Children in Nepal and Nigeria To Benefit From Vision Research

ROCHESTER, N.Y., February 2011 — The Pediatric Cataract Initiative is providing grants of $50,000 each to two programs that aim to treat and prevent vision loss in children.

The first is a study by Lumbini Eye Institute in Nepal of the cost and effectiveness of a pediatric cataract surgery follow-up system in western Nepal and adjacent northern Indian states.

The second is a study by Calabar Hospital in Nigeria of the burden and causes of blindness and severe visual impairment in children in the Cross River State of that country. This ground-breaking effort may be the very first large-scale study of the causes of childhood blindness in Africa.

"In children, despite the best cataract surgery, long-term and more frequent follow-up is required because of changing refractive error due to their constantly growing eyes and the special concern of amblyopia, which is exclusive to children," said Dr. Salma K.C. Rai of Lumbini Eye Institute in a release.

"It is very important for the pediatric ophthalmologist and the team to repeatedly stress to parents the importance of follow-up visits, at least in the initial few years following pediatric cataract surgery," she added. "The seed needs to be sown at the right time, and any delay will result in poor results."

"Receiving the grant will engage people in our region to take more action towards eliminating childhood blindness," said Dr. Roseline Duke of the Calabar Teaching Hospital. "At the end of our research, I hope to have restored good vision to children who are affected by cataract, and integrated those who have lost their vision into their schools and communities."

Members of the Pediatric Cataract Initiative Global Advisory Council reviewed 16 small research grant applications from countries including India, Cameroon, Nigeria, Nepal, Guatemala, Kenya, the United States and the United Kingdom. Soon the Initiative will announce a major prevention and treatment grant for a Chinese institution as well.

The Initiative is a partnership of the Bausch + Lomb Early Vision Institute and Lions Clubs International Foundation.

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Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Age-Related Cataract

SINGAPORE, January 2011 — People with metabolic syndrome are more likely to have one or more types of cataracts, according to a study.

The study defined metabolic syndrome as having three or more of the following: a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more; too much bad cholesterol in the blood; not enough good cholesterol; blood pressure of 130/85 or higher or use of blood pressure medication; and diabetes mellitus.

The three types of cataracts measured were nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataract.

A breakdown of the various components of metabolic syndrome showed:

• High blood pressure was associated with all three cataract types.
• Diabetes was associated with cortical and PSC cataracts.
• Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high BMI, diabetes and high blood pressure were associated with cortical cataracts.
• Having both high blood pressure and diabetes was associated with a four-fold increase in cataract risk.

The study was of 1,794 Malay adults aged 40-80. The study report appeared in January on the website for the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

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Crystalens Rebate Extended to March 31st

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., December 2010 — If you plan to have cataract surgery with implantation of the Crystalens accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) before March 31, you may receive a rebate of up to $250 per eye, according to manufacturer Bausch + Lomb.

The company says that cataract surgeons asked that the rebate program, called "See Better and Save," be extended beyond the previously announced date of January 31.

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New Laser May Make Cataract Surgery More Precise

SANTA CLARA, Calif., December 2010 — Eventually, lasers may be widely used in cataract surgery if current research pans out. A group of Stanford University scientists has been testing the Catalys Precision Laser System, which uses a femtosecond laser, in its ability to perform steps that in the United States are normally performed manually.

These manual steps include:

• Capsulotomy: making a circular incision in the lens capsule.
• Lens fragmentation: segmenting and softening of the lens to prepare for removal.
• Relaxing incisions: cuts to correct astigmatism.
• Cataract incisions: cuts to allow insertion of the surgical tools.

More precision and reproducibility are the benefits of using femtosecond lasers, according to Daniel Palanker, the study's lead author and associate professor at the Department of Ophthalmology and Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory at Stanford University.

He reported that the study compared 29 laser-treated eyes with 30 manually treated eyes and found a 12-fold improvement in precision of the capsulotomy size and a five-fold improvement in precision of the capsulotomy shape.

Also, the strength of the capsulotomy improved by more than 100 percent, which may mean a safer procedure by reducing the possibility of lens capsule rupture.

Another researcher, William Culbertson, MD, commented that making the procedure more precise will help cataract surgeons position the intraocular lens more accurately, which is important for the visual outcome of the surgery.

OptiMedica Corp. is developing the Catalys Precision Laser System and expects to launch it worldwide in 2011. The study appeared in Science Translational Medicine in November.

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Amino Acid Found To Prevent Cataracts in Farmed Salmon

NORWICH, England, November 2010 — Adding the amino acid histidine to the diet of farmed salmon prevents cataracts from forming in the fish.

Cataracts have become more common in farmed fish ever since blood meal was removed from their diet because of fears of mad cow disease.

But histidine seems to be protective of the lenses within the salmon's eyes.

This helps the fish to survive longer during the period of their lives when they mature in the ocean, before returning to fresh water in order to spawn.

The research was conducted at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. It was published in October in the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

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Drinking Moderately May Lead to Lower Incidence of Cataract Surgery

SYDNEY, Australia, October 2010 — A study has found that people who drink one to two alcoholic beverages per day have a lower incidence of cataract surgery than those who drink two or more alcoholic beverages per day and those who don't drink at all.

In the Blue Mountains Eye Study, researchers examined the eyes of 3,654 Australians who were at least 49 years old, with followup exams a few years later of 2,564 subjects. The participants answered interviewer questions about their alcohol consumption. The researchers cautioned that future studies are needed to confirm these results.

The researchers were affiliated with the Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, and the Centre for Eye Research, University of Melbourne. The study report was published online in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in July.

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Artificial Multifocal Lens That Also Corrects Astigmatism
Launched Outside the U.S.

HUENENBERG, Switzerland, September 2010 — Alcon has just debuted the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR Multifocal Toric intraocular lens (IOL) in countries outside the United States.

The company plans to file a pre-market application for the cataract lens with the FDA in early 2012, so it may launch in the United States during that year.

According to the company, for cataract patients with astigmatism, this IOL marries the multifocal performance of the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR with the astigmatism correction of the AcrySof Toric. The lens is designed to decrease the need for eyeglasses after cataract surgery.

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The Montreal Protocol Could Reduce U.S. Cataract Cases
by 22 Million, Says New Report

WASHINGTON, September 2010 — A new report has predicted that the Montreal Protocol will reduce the number of cataract cases among Americans born between 1985 and 2100 by more than 22 million.

The Montreal Protocol is the environmental treaty that aims to eliminate ozone depletion, thereby bringing protection against UV radiation back to pre-1980 levels after 2065. So far, 196 countries have signed the treaty.

Past reports have estimated skin cancer cases and deaths that could be avoided by successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol. This is the first report to estimate the number of cataract cases — for which UV ray exposure is a risk factor — that may be avoided as well.

The report also suggested that the treaty will save Americans a lot of money on cataract treatment, an estimated average cost per patient of $1,268 for an outpatient procedure and $5,689 for an inpatient procedure.

ICF International prepared the report, titled "Protecting the Ozone Layer Protects Eyesight," for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Global Initiative To Attack Pediatric Cataracts
in People's Republic of China

ROCHESTER, N.Y., August 2010 — A new global partnership called the Pediatric Cataract Initiative intends to identify, fund and promote ways to eliminate pediatric cataracts, which, if untreated, cause significant vision problems and even blindness in children.

The problem is especially serious in developing countries, where resources to address it are lacking.

The partners, Bausch + Lomb Early Vision Institute and Lions Clubs International Foundation, will focus initially on the People's Republic of China.

More than 40,000 children in that country are estimated to have pediatric cataract, which may be a congenital cataract (present at birth) that was left untreated or a cataract resulting from trauma such as a blow to the eye.

Normally, treatment would be surgical removal of the cataract within the first few weeks after birth, or sometimes later.

Frequent examinations and prescription of vision correction devices (intraocular lenses, contacts or glasses) are necessary throughout childhood to help the child's visual system to develop properly. Without such attention, a child with pediatric cataract faces many difficulties with learning and socialization.

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Healthy Diet May Postpone Nuclear Cataract Development in Women

MADISON, Wis., June 2010 — Of 1,808 women age 55 to 86 who participated in the Carotenoids in the Age-Related Eye Disease study, 41 percent either had nuclear cataracts evident from closeup photos of the eye's natural lens or reported having a cataract extracted.

But having a high score in the 1995 Healthy Eating Index was the best modifiable predictor of low prevalence of nuclear cataract.

At the same time, smoking, obesity, myopia, a brown eye color and high pulse pressure were associated with a higher prevalence of nuclear cataract.

Study results appeared in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

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FluidVision IOL Early Trial Results Announced

BOSTON, May 2010 — Early clinical trials involving six patients have shown good results with a fluid-driven intraocular lens (IOL) called the FluidVision lens.

This is an accommodative lens used in cataract surgery, meaning that it mimics the ability of the eye's natural lens to focus at various distances with a shape change and forward movement. Fluid contained in the IOL works to change the lens's curvature, achieving the accommodative focus.

All six patients in the trial had postoperative visual acuity of at least 20/20, and the FluidVision lens provided an average of 5.6 diopters of accommodative power.

The trial results were announced at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

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LenSx Femtosecond Laser Now Available in United States
for Cataract Surgery

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., May 2010 — The FDA has approved the LenSx femtosecond laser for laser phacofragmentation during cataract surgery. Phacofragmentation is the process of breaking the eye's natural lens into small fragments so they can be removed through an incision, clearing the way for insertion of an artificial intraocular lens.

Surgeons who participated in the clinical trials of the LenSx laser reported a significant reduction in procedure time compared with other methods of phacofragmentation. Also it was reported in a study that the laser delivered a perfectly centered and sized capsulotomy.

Femtosecond lasers have been used in LASIK surgery, but the LenSx is the first to receive FDA approval for cataract surgery.

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Medicare Patients Much More Likely To Have Cataract Surgery
Than VA Patients

INDIANAPOLIS, April 2010 — An eight-year study found that people who visited private medical facilities reimbursed by Medicare were more than 550 percent more likely to have cataract surgery than those who received care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"We don't know yet what exactly accounts for the five-and-a-half-fold difference in surgery rates between the two systems," said first author Dustin French, PhD, in a release. "It may be related to how the two systems are funded by the government, it could be a difference between physician-driven decisions, or it may be related to a lack of ophthalmologists within the VA system or it could be more than one of these factors."

Dr. French added that the study results raised questions about a two-tiered, government-funded health care system that may not offer equivalent quality of care. The study was reported in the March issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality.

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HRT Use May Increase Cataract Risk in Women

SUNDSVALL, Sweden, April 2010 — Of the more than 30,000 postmenopausal Swedish women followed in an eight-year study, those using or previously using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had higher rates of cataract removal than those who had never used HRT.

The risk for cataract removal was 14 percent higher in women who had used HRT previously and 18 percent higher for current HRT users, compared with women who had never used HRT.

Risk also increased with longer use of HRT. And the risk was 42 percent higher for current HRT users who said they drank more than one alcoholic beverage per day versus those who used neither HRT nor alcohol.

The researchers said that the hormone estrogen may play a role in cataract risk: while naturally occurring estrogen seems to protect eyes from cataracts, the estrogen used in HRT may behave differently.

The study report appeared in the March issue of the journal Ophthalmology.

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Some Anti-Depressants Associated With Higher Cataract Risk

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, April 2010 — A class of anti-depressant drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is suspected of increasing risk of cataracts, according to a study of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older.

While overall the patients taking SSRIs were 15 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts or to have cataract surgery, the degree of risk varied with the particular drug. For example, fluvoxamine (Luvox) was associated with a 51 percent higher chance of having cataract surgery, and venlafaxine (Effexor), a 34 percent higher chance.

A major risk factor that the study could not account for was smoking, and the researchers said that more studies are needed to confirm their findings. And they commented that the benefits of treating depression still outweigh the risk of cataracts, which are treatable.

The study report appeared in the March issue of the journal Ophthalmology.

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Cholesterol Drug Reduces Cataract Risk

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 2010 — A common cholesterol drug protects against cataracts, too, says a new study. Researchers at the Tel Aviv University in Israel found that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, reduced men's risk of cataracts by almost 40 percent.

Although it's not the first time doctors have found statins to protect against cataracts, this is the first study in a large population to show a significant association between cataracts and the drug. The researchers studied 180,000 patients for about 10 years.

Male participants aged 45 to 54 who took statins daily had a 38 percent reduced risk for developing cataracts. Women of the same age had a reduced risk of about 18 percent.

The study's lead researcher, Gabriel Chodick, PhD, stated that the statins appear to protect the eye from inflammation, as well as ocular nerve cells from oxidization (the process in which healthy cells lose electrons).

It has not been determined yet whether people who are not at risk for heart attacks should take statins for cataract prevention, he said.

The study was published in the February issue of Annals of Epidemiology.

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Eyewear Filters Glare and Enhances Contrast for People
With Cataracts and Other Vision Problems

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., February 2010 — People with untreated cataracts often have trouble with glare: as the natural lens in their eye becomes cloudier over time, it scatters light, creating glare and reducing contrast.

Wellness Protect Eyewear from Eschenbach Optik contains absorptive filters designed to cut glare and enhance contrast for people with cataracts as well as anyone else who has trouble with low contrast in their vision, including those with retinal problems such as macular degeneration.

The yellow-tinted lenses filter out blue light, but other tinted filters (orange, amber, plum and deep red) are available for other purposes. Your eye doctor can advise you on which lenses are best for your needs.

This eyewear is especially attractive to those who would rather not use large shields over their regular eyeglasses. Wellness Protect Eyewear can accept prescription lenses, so there is no need to wear it over eyeglasses.

The frame includes side shields for full protection but allows for air circulation, to prevent fogging. Ask your eye doctor about Wellness Protect Eyewear.

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Bausch + Lomb Releases New Aspheric IOL

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., January 2010 — Early this month, Bausch + Lomb announced the launch of Crystalens Aspheric Optic (AO). It is the first aberration-free accommodating intraocular lens (IOL), meaning its aspheric design does not compromise the depth of field.

Crystalens AO is the newest addition to the Crystalens portfolio, following Crystalens HD and Crystalens Five-0. The IOLs are cataract replacement lenses that also correct for presbyopia, providing a full range of vision. According the company press release, Crystalens AO provides greater quality of distance and intermediate vision.

The lens will launch worldwide during the first quarter of 2010.

Please click here for more cataract news from 2009.

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[Page updated December 22, 2011]