New small aperture IOL

Dermot McGrath

Published: Monday, June 29, 2020

Magda Rau MD

Initial results of a new small-aperture IOL show that the lens offers high levels of safety and efficacy when implanted binocularly in cataract patients, according to Magda Rau MD. “The early optical and functional results from patients bilaterally implanted with the AcuFocus IC-8 IOL show excellent visual acuity for distance and intermediate vision, and very good near vision, with a high level of patient satisfaction,” Magda Rau MD said in a presentation at the World Ophthalmology Congress Virtual. Dr Rau’s prospective case study was carried out from September 2018 to January 2019 on a series of 10 patients presenting for cataract surgery. All patients were implanted bilaterally with the IC-8 IOL, a single-piece hydrophobic acrylic lens with a centrally located opaque annular mask measuring 3.23mm in total diameter with a 1.36 mm central aperture. “The mask creates a pinhole effect, which delivers 3.0D of extended depth of focus by blocking unfocussed peripheral light rays and isolating more focused central and paracentral rays through the centre aperture,” said Dr Rau. Three months after implantation the mean binocular UCVA was 0.89D for distance, 0.76D for intermediate, and 0.63D for near vision. The mean refraction was -0.35D. None of the patients needed glasses for computer use and 76% were able to read newspapers without glasses. The patient questionnaire showed that 30% of the patients described themselves as “very satisfied” and 70% “satisfied” with the achieved results. There were no complaints of halos or glare, concluded Dr Rau.