Unable to see near objects? Self-correcting lenses for 'presbyopia' are here

Senior adult patients undergoing cataract surgeries commonly experience a refractive disorder — inability to view near objects. They find it difficult to read newspapers or even the mobile screen. That medical condition is called Presbyopia and there was no cure for it until recently. A few weeks ago, Alcon, a global eye care firm, launched 'Vivity', the first and only extended depth of focus lens that addresses presbyopia.

Cataract, a cloudy area in the natural lens of the eye that affects vision, is the most common cause of vision loss globally and the primary cause of preventable blindness in India, affecting about 99 lakh people a year. As a cataract develops, the eye’s lens gradually becomes hard and cloudy, allowing less light to pass through, which makes it more difficult to see. The vast majority of cataracts result from normal aging. The prevalence of uncorrected presbyopia among adults in India is estimated at 33%.

Only about 65 lakh people undergo cataract surgeries every year performed by around 12,200 cataract surgeons in the country. Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded natural crystalline lens followed by a replacement with an intraocular lens (IOL). Only 40% of these surgeries are faco surgeries or automated surgeries in India. Apart from Alcon, which has significant market leadership, multinationals like Johnson & Johnson and Bausch & Lomb dominate the market for IOL lenses.

Based on Alcon’s X-WAVE technology, the Vivity lens stretches and shifts light without splitting and delivers a continuous range of vision at various distances. With this, the patient can read newspapers, work on laptop or mobile phone, even while having clear long distance vision with low rate of visual disturbances after the surgery, says top executives with Alcon India.

“Traditional IOLs typically address distance vision. Now our seniors spend a lot of time with technology screens like phones, tablets and computers and currently experience a massive gap in near and intermediate vision post-surgery,” says Shalav Modi, country franchise head – surgical and country manager at Alcon Laboratories India. He notes that currently 90% of patients continue to depend on glasses for most of their daily activities even after surgery.

Alcon claims Vivity is the first and only non-diffractive presbyopia-correcting IOL available globally with minimum visual disturbance profile. Unlike conventional presbyopia-correcting IOLs, which split light, Vivity utilises almost all of the light energy, providing good vision quality in all lighting conditions.

Alcon globally operates in 140 countries employing 23,000 people, including 1,200 in R&D and which helps the company bring out new products every year. "India is one of our priority markets and we launch all our products here at the same time or within a few months of launch in Europe or the U.S.," says Modi.