Alcon, Inc.
HUENENBERG, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcon, Inc. (NYSE:
ACL -
News), the world’s leader in
eye
care and
cataract
surgery announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approved its aspheric AcrySof
® IQ
Toric intraocular
lens (IOL). The new lens offers an enhanced aspheric optic that improves
image quality and increases contrast sensitivity in cataract surgery
patients with astigmatism. The innovative lens design offers these
patients the best opportunity for quality distance vision without
glasses.
“With the addition of asphericity to the AcrySof® Toric lens,
which was already my lens of choice for astigmatic patients, I can now
reduce spherical aberration, enhance image quality and improve
functional vision for my cataract patients,” said Edward Holland, M.D.,
director of cornea at the Cincinnati Eye Institute and professor of
ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati. “At the same time, the
thinner lens profile is ideally suited for micro-coaxial surgical
techniques, which surgeons use to reduce incision size in cataract
surgery.”
The first AcrySof® Toric lens was introduced in 2005 and
quickly became the leading toric lens on the market, due to its
predictable power outcomes and excellent rotational stability. These
benefits are largely realized due to the strengths of the AcrySof®
IOL material and proprietary single-piece design. As the first acrylic
single-piece lens, AcrySof® provides unequalled stability in
the eye. This is especially important when correcting astigmatism, which
occurs due to an irregular shape of the eye. Continual innovation of the
AcrySof® IOL platform has characterized the brand, with
nearly two decades of product introductions that have steadily advanced
the standard of cataract treatment, including blue-light filtration,
aspheric optics, presbyopia correction and astigmatic correction.
“The AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL is yet another intraocular
lens technology innovation, that is part of Alcon’s product development
strategy to provide cataract surgeons with tools for customized
treatment based on individual patient needs,” said Bill Barton, Alcon’s
president of U.S. operations. “To that end, Alcon continues to combine
multiple technologies and optics into each new lens introduction, all
based on AcrySof®, the world’s most frequently implanted IOL
material.”
Alcon will commercially launch the new AcrySof® IQ Toric
IOL at the 2009 American
Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) annual meeting
in San Francisco, California.
About AcrySof® Intraocular Lenses
Alcon’s AcrySof®
intraocular lenses are the
most frequently implanted lenses in the world, with more than 40 million
implants since their introduction in the early 1990s. Alcon’s AcrySof®
IOL platform offers cataract patients a variety of benefits and is
available with a variety of optics designed to help patients achieve the
best possible vision. The AcrySof® family of IOLs includes
the AcrySof® IQ, AcrySof® IQ Toric and AcrySof®
IQ ReSTOR® IOLs.
About Cataract Surgery and Astigmatism
A cataract is a “clouding” of the eye’s natural lens, which results in
blurred or defocused vision. IOLs are implanted during cataract
surgery to replace the patient’s natural lens that has been removed
during surgery. Cataracts cannot be prevented and are the leading cause
of treatable blindness worldwide. Corneal astigmatism is an irregularity
of the cornea that can cause significantly blurred or distorted vision.
For more information, visit www.cataractsurgery.com.
About Alcon
Alcon, Inc. is the world’s leading eye
care company, with sales of approximately $6.3 billion in 2008.
Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for 60 years,
researches, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical
equipment and devices, contact lens care solutions and other vision care
products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye.
Alcon’s majority shareholder is Nestlé, S.A., the world’s largest food
company. For more information on Alcon, Inc., visit the Company’s web
site at www.alcon.com.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements. This press
release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any
forward-looking statements reflect the views of our management as of the
date of this press release with respect to future events and are based
on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these
uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required under the
federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission, we undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements,
whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or
otherwise.