FDA approves EnVista acrylic intraocular lens (Bausch & Lomb Ophthalmic) for Cataract Surgery

The FDA has approved the EnVista hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL), from Bausch + Lomb Ophthalmic, for Cataract Surgery. The EnVista lens combines aspheric, aberration-free optics designed to deliver enhanced contrast sensitivity and better vision quality, with a clinically proven glistening-free material. Glistenings are fluid-filled microvacuoles that can form within an IOL, and are common in some hydrophobic acrylic IOLs. They cause a portion of the light coming into the eye to be scattered in all directions, and have been shown to have a negative impact on visual acuity. In addition, the EnVista lens design is intended to minimize posterior capsular opacification, a common long-term problem with IOLs that can cause patient vision to become clouded post-surgery. The enVista lens received CE Mark approval in the European Union in September 2011 and is currently pending approvals worldwide. Full commercial release of the enVista IOL in the US is planned upon FDA clearance of its supporting insertion system.