on the net
This site provides information on the Array IOL

With a wide range of new vision correction options becoming available, companies have been creating Web sites to explain the benefits of specific products to potential patients. One such site is www.arraylens.com, sponsored by Advanced Medical Optics and dedicated to providing the public with comprehensive information about the capabilities of the company's Array multifocal IOL.

"This is strictly a patient education site," says Guy E. Knolle, M.D., FACS, of Knolle & Young Associates in Austin, Texas. "You can encourage the patients you identify as candidates for the Array lens to visit this site, as it will help them understand the concept of the multifocal lens and the specific advantages that the Array offers."

Dr. Knolle, who is in his 60s, has always been enthusiastic about multifocal IOLs and the quality of vision they provide. He began using the Array in 2000 and had Array lenses implanted in his own eyes last year in a Prelex (refractive lens exchange) procedure.

"The Array is a very versatile lens," he says. "I use it in cataract patients, and also in refractive lens exchange for presbyopic and pre-presbyopic patients. The outcomes have been uniformly excellent in numerous individuals displaying a wide range of refractive error."

Dr. Knolle and the arraylens.com Web site acknowledge the one drawback that has kept some surgeons from using the Array. Due to the basic design of the lens, patients almost always see faint circles around lights.

"I've found that the vision quality and depth of field that the Array provides far outweigh this minor disadvantage. I find the Array much superior to giving a patient monovision or blended vision."

In addition to providing information about multifocality and the lens itself, the arraylens.com Web site offers potential patients a brief test that will help them determine if they're good candidates for the Array. The site also contains a convenient "Find a Physician" feature.

Visit: www.arraylens.com

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com or call him at (215) 643-8013.