Alcon (SIX/NYSE: ALC), a global leader in eye care, has commercially launched the first and only non-diffractive extended depth of focus intraocular lens (IOL) in the U.S. – the AcrySof IQ Vivity IOL (Vivity), the company said in a news release.
This new presbyopia-mitigating lens is now available to all U.S. ophthalmologists for patients undergoing cataract surgery. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss globally. The U.S. market is expected to grow to 5.4 million cataract surgeries by 2025. With the aging population, the number of people in the U.S. with cataracts is expected to double by 2050.
Presbyopia is a common, age-related vision condition in which people have difficulty focusing on things up close, such as smart phones, computers, books and menus.
Alcon said in the announcement that almost everyone will experience presbyopia to some degree as they age, with symptoms often first appearing as an individual enters their 40s and continues to worsen into their 60s.
“With the introduction of Vivity, Alcon continues to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to growing our IOL portfolio and delivering differentiated innovations that meet surgeon and patient needs,” said Sergio Duplan, president, North America at Alcon. “We now offer two next-generation presbyopia-mitigating IOL options, with the PanOptix Trifocal for patients who want to be more spectacle independent at all distances and Vivity for patients who seek to improve their intermediate and near vision, with a monofocal-like visual disturbance profile.”
Vivity received FDA approval in February 2020, and it was made available to select U.S. ophthalmologists in September 2020 during a pilot phase, ahead of the current national launch.
In the U.S., an estimated 112 million people experience vision issues due to presbyopia – a number that’s expected to continue increasing. The condition is not a disease, so it cannot be cured; however, there are safe and effective ways to correct presbyopia, including eye glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery, Alcon said.
Alcon announces new cataract lens implant
