Bausch & Lomb has announced that the company made an equity investment in AcuFocus, Inc., a private firm in Irvine, California, and the designer of the ACI 7000, a corneal inlay for presbyopic correction:
The AcuFocus ACI 7000™ is designed to treat presbyopia, a condition which affects more than 50 million people in the United States. Presbyopia, a part of the normal aging process, reduces the ability of the eye to focus on near objects. Traditionally, most people with presbyopia have had to use reading glasses to improve their near vision. The AcuFocus corneal inlay is designed to treat presbyopia in all patients, including those who have had cataract surgery, and reduce their dependence on reading glasses.
The ACI 7000 corneal inlay is implanted in the cornea under a LASIK flap in a simple outpatient procedure. The device incorporates technology that increases the patient’s depth of field, thereby improving near vision. The ACI 7000 has been designed to maintain normal corneal physiology and corneal health. The procedure does not involve tissue removal nor does it permanently alter the cornea, so pre-implant vision can be restored if the inlay is removed.
Recent studies have demonstrated that the ACI 7000 improves near vision in patients who previously didn’t require vision correction (emmetropes) as well as those who have had LASIK surgery. Trials are being conducted to study the ACI 7000 in patients with intraocular lenses.
“Current surgical presbyopic solutions involve compromises that can negatively affect the quality of vision for many patients. The ACI 7000 corneal inlay is designed to remove those compromises through a safe and simple procedure,” said Daniel S. Durrie, MD., Principal Investigator. “Moreover, pre-clinical studies performed outside of the United States show excellent early results and high patient satisfaction.”
Bausch & Lomb press release…
AcuFocus company’s site…
Product details (.pdf)…
