Abbott announces FDA approval and U.S. launch of the TECNIS® Toric intraocular lens for cataract patients

Abbott today announced that the TECNIS® Toric 1-Piece intraocular lens (IOL) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and is launching in the United States for the treatment of cataract patients with pre-existing corneal astigmatism.

Corneal astigmatism is a condition where the curvature of the cornea is uneven, preventing light rays from focusing clearly on the retina, resulting in blurred vision. Intraocular lenses are implanted in a patient’s eye after the removal of the natural lens that has become clouded by a cataract. Unlike conventional IOLs, the TECNIS Toric 1-Piece IOL can correct a patient’s loss of focus due to pre-existing corneal astigmatism of one diopter (a unit of measurement of the refractive power of a lens) or greater.

The average age for the cataract surgery patient in the United States is approximately 68 years with more than 3.5 million procedures performed annually. As the U.S. population continues to age, the number of cataract surgeries is expected to grow nearly 3 percent each year, increasing patient demand for improved, precise visual outcomes and independence from glasses.

“The TECNIS Toric 1-Piece IOL represents the latest advancement in cataract technology and expands Abbott’s portfolio of the TECNIS family of IOLs,” said Murthy Simhambhatla, senior vice president, Medical Optics, Abbott. “The TECNIS Toric 1-Piece IOL allows surgeons to offer an additional lens option that provides proven visual outcomes to increase patient satisfaction.”

Along with delivering precise visual outcomes for patients, rotational stability is an important attribute of a toric IOL. The TECNIS Toric 1-piece IOL remains very stable once inserted into the eye, and meets the new standard for toric IOL rotational stability, as approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

In addition to providing astigmatism correction, the TECNIS Toric 1-Piece lens minimizes imprecise light focusing (spherical aberration) to provide sharper distance vision for the patient.

“The TECNIS Toric IOL decreases astigmatism while improving visual quality, with improved functional vision,” said Kevin Waltz, O.D., M.D., Eye Surgeons of Indiana, and clinical investigator for the TECNIS Toric IOL. “Having implanted several TECNIS Toric IOLs within clinical trials, I find it delivers excellent patient results.”

Additional information about the TECNIS Toric 1-Piece IOL, including important safety information, is available at www.tecnistoriciol.com.