IOL Innovations: Raising the Bar in Cataract Surgery
Find out how these early adopters are faring with crystalens*, the first accommodating IOL.

As innovative new IOL designs -- toric and multifocal lenses, for example -- made their way into the mainstream, patients' expectations rose significantly. Cataract patients became refractive patients. Today, most people have a friend, a relative or a coworker who's had cataract surgery and no longer needs eyeglasses.

In November 2003, the bar was raised again when eyeonics Inc., in Aliso Viejo, Calif., received approval from the FDA to market the first accommodating intraocular lens, the crystalens. The result of more than 14 years of research and development, crystalens enables cataract patients to focus at all distances, eliminating or reducing their need for eyeglasses.

This innovative new lens arrived just in time, as eyecare practitioners face an ever-widening stream of baby boomers anxious to do whatever it takes to counter the effects of aging.

Every significant new procedure you introduce into practice requires planning, education and marketing. In a recent roundtable discussion, a group of physicians and practice administrators discussed how they've integrated the crystalens into their practices and the results they've achieved thus far. Their experiences will serve as a guide as you adopt this exciting new technology.

*crystalens is a registered trademark of eyeonics Inc.

Larry E. Patterson, M.D., Moderator Eye Centers of Tennessee Crossville, Tenn.	Dan Chambers Practice Administrator Key-Whitman Eye Center, Dallas
Charles Davis, D.O. Davis Eye Center Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio	Jim Denning, CEO Discover Vision Centers Kansas City, Mo.
James C. Loden, M.D. President, Loden Vision Centers Nashville, Tenn.	Rosie Long Refractive Coordinator Eye Surgery Associates Hollywood, Fla.
Neil F. Martin, M.D. Washington Eye Physicians & Surgeons Chevy Chase, Md.