Intraocular lenses to solve cataracts and astigmatism during the same surgical procedure

Around a hundred specialists at the IMO debate the latest news regarding the handling of astigmatism, a refractive defect that affects over 30% of patients with cataracts

The Refractive Cataract Video meeting organised by IMO and Alcon on 10 October brought together around one hundred professionals at the Institute to attend a live surgery session involving five cataract and refractive surgical procedures and a subsequent round table session to cover the latest news on the surgical correction of astigmatism.

This refractive defect, which causes blurred and distorted vision, affects 26% of the Spanish population and, in the case of patients with cataracts, this percentage rises to over 30%. However, as Dr José Luis Güell, IMO specialist and coordinator of the meeting, explains, “many people are unaware of the option of correcting astigmatism and cataracts during the same surgical procedure, which is something that the surgeon should indicate so that patients can do away with corrective lenses after the operation.”

equipos quirúrgicos de última generación “The arrival of state-of-the-art surgical equipment has led to the improved fitting and positioning of intraocular lenses inside the eye.”

 

According to the experts who met at IMO, this field has experienced significant advances over recent years thanks to the introduction of pioneering techniques and the use of instruments that allow for greater precision and safety.

Along these lines, Dr Daniel Elies, ophthalmologist at the Institute, highlights not only the perfecting of intraocular lenses (often considered the most suitable solution for patients with astigmatism), but also the appearance of state-of-the-art surgical equipment for their improved fitting and positioning inside the eye. Among these he points out the femtosecond laser, which precisely reproduces the micro-incisions previously designed by the surgeon on the computer to which it is connected.

Hence, “some of the most important steps in cataract surgery are automatic, without depending so directly on the manual skills of the ophthalmologist, which increases the simplicity, precision and safety of the procedure,” concludes Dr Güell.

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