nanoFLEX^® Collamer^® IOL and Premium Surgery Enable Excellent Outcomes

Patients appreciate the affordability of this approach.

By Ehsan Sadri, MD, FACS, FAAO

In current cataract surgery vernacular, the word “standard” is used to describe monofocal IOLs. However, surgeons familiar with the monofocal nanoFLEX^® Collamer^® IOL know the quality and range of vision it can produce for patients go well beyond standard. During my 4 years of experience implanting this IOL, it has exhibited excellent optical properties, which translate into super-sharp, clear vision for patients. The lens behaves very well in the eye. In my patient population, it hasn’t developed glistenings or caused any type of visual disturbance, such as edge glare or edge awareness — even at night. The nanoFLEX IOL also provides surprisingly effective intermediate visual acuity, which is uncommon for a monofocal lens.

It’s a great lens from the surgeon’s point of view, too. Because of the flexibility of the Collamer material, the IOL handles easily, and the style of the plate haptic lends itself to stable centration in the eye. I like to say that the nanoFLEX has a large “sweet spot,” meaning that it is very forgiving. In comparison, other IOLs, even with perfect biometry and a perfect procedure, don’t always provide vision as clear and crisp as that achieved with nanoFLEX. The nanoFLEX is also forgiving when the need to perform YAG laser to alleviate PCO arises. The laser won’t cause the lens to pit. Instead, the relatively high water content of the lens allows it to reconstitute itself.

Blended Vision with nanoFLEX: A Popular Choice

By using a blended vision strategy, I’ve been able to further expand the range of vision patients can achieve with the nanoFLEX. This works particularly well for patients who are accustomed to LASIK or contact lens monovision, but it’s also easier to adapt to than monovision for the vast majority of patients. I usually target the dominant eye for distance vision and the nondominant eye for near vision from -0.75D to -1.00D. The process seems to go the smoothest for the patient if I operate on the dominant eye first and the second eye about a month later. The end result is excellent uncorrected distance and intermediate vision, which is an appealing range of functional vision for many patients.

In my practice, blended vision with the nanoFLEX Collamer IOL is available as a premium surgery option. Because we’re striving for the best possible spectacle-free vision, which is above and beyond the “medical necessity” covered by Medicare and other insurers, patients pay out of pocket for the additional services this requires, such as topography and LRIs for astigmatism management. However, the cost to them is far less than the cost of premium surgery with a multifocal, accommodating or toric IOL because the cost of the nanoFLEX is lower, similar to other lenses in the monofocal category.

Patients whose main goal is to have the best possible uncorrected near vision postoperatively along with usable unaided intermediate and distance vision can opt for accommodating or multifocal IOLs in both eyes if they’re willing and able to pay for that result. Some patients, such as those who develop cataracts at a younger than typical age, and who want to read fine print without glasses but also do a good deal of driving, are interested in multifocality but want to avoid the night vision problems that can be associated with it. Having a nanoFLEX or accommodating IOL in the dominant eye and a multifocal IOL in the other often works for them.

Something for Everyone

Making all of today’s IOLs available to my patients has served them and my practice well. I’m able to match each person with the lens best-suited for meeting their vision goals. Having the nanoFLEX — a monofocal IOL with premium results potential — in the mix is an added bonus because it allows me to maximize outcomes at a price point that is more widely affordable than other options. This means more patients can take advantage of the best we have to offer. ■

Dr. Sadri is a cataract/refractive, oculoplastic and glaucoma surgeon with Atlantis Eyecare, which serves patients from eight locations in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas of California.