| A new competitor has been added to the variety | | | | receiving the Tecnis® multifocal lens implants, |
| of lenses used in cataract surgery today. The | | | | and again after one year. Those with the |
| Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved | | | | Tecnis® lenses rated their vision significantly |
| Pfizer’ Tecnis® Multifocal Foldable Acrylic | | | | higher than those that received monofocal lenses |
| Intraocular Lens (IOL) in January 2009, adding it to | | | | in both surveys. 94.6% of patients who have had |
| the list of successful multifocal lenses such as | | | | the Tecnis® lens implanted would have the |
| ReSTOR®, that have brought clear vision to | | | | same lens implanted if they had to do it again. |
| millions of cataract patients. | | | | Most patients experience clear vision at all |
| Like its predecessors, the diffractive lens design | | | | distances with the Tecnis® lenses in contrast to |
| that Tecnis® uses directs light differently in | | | | the patients with monofocal lenses whose near |
| different zones of the lens. Each zone is designed | | | | vision was often blurred and required reading |
| to address either distance, intermediate or near | | | | glasses. Tecnis® patients report far fewer |
| vision. The Tecnis® lens not only replaces the | | | | incidences of halos, glare and other aberrations, |
| natural crystalline lens to eliminate cataracts, but it | | | | and report clearer night vision than with |
| also corrects presbyopia, a normal blurring of | | | | monofocal lenses. But, Tecnis® patients’ |
| vision that begins in one’s 40s and worsens | | | | night distance vision was not quite as good as |
| with age. Many people report not needing even | | | | with the monofocal lenses. |
| reading glasses, which sets this lens apart from | | | | Patients with the Tecnis® lenses were able to |
| the competition. | | | | read faster and read smaller print sizes without |
| | | | glasses or contacts than patients who had |
| Benefits of the Tecnis® Multifocal IOL | | | | received monofocal lenses. |
| According to their literature the benefits gained | | | | The need for glasses or contacts in those who |
| from this lens are: | | | | received bilateral implants varied significantly |
| - After 4-6 months of healing, 94% of patients | | | | between the multifocal lens users and the |
| who received the Tecnis® Multifocal IOL | | | | monofocal lens users. |
| experienced 20/25 or better distance vision and | | | | Using |
| 20/32 near vision. | | | | Spectacles |
| - 93.8% of the patients in the study group were | | | | Always |
| comfortable without glasses at any distance one | | | | Sometimes Never |
| year after receiving this lens bilaterally. | | | | 1. Bilateral Multifocal Lens |
| - Most patients NEVER needed glasses after | | | | 0.7% |
| receiving a Tecnis® implant. | | | | 11.3% 88.0% |
| - The image quality people experienced was | | | | 2. Bilateral Monofocal Lens 11.0% |
| excellent under both bright and dim lighting. | | | | |
| - Patients experienced almost no spherical | | | | 83.9% 5.0% |
| aberration. | | | | Available Models of Tecnis® |
| | | | Tecnis® manufactures two models of the |
| Patient Responses | | | | Multifocal Foldable Intraocular Lens, the acrylic |
| Patients were surveyed at 4-6 months after | | | | model # ZMA00, and a silicone model ZM900. |