Rajesh Rajpal, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vision, Johnson & Johnson, and a cornea, cataract, and refractive surgeon in the Washington DC area, spoke with Ophthalmology 360 about the company’s presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens (IOL).
Q: Can you talk about the effects of presbyopia, particularly on the aging population?
Dr. Rajpal: Cataracts are a normal part of the aging process. The natural lens of the eye, which is what becomes a cataract, starts to become cloudy and denser from birth through age 60 to 70 years when cataract surgery typically needs to be done.
Around age 40 and 50 years, however, the lens has become dense enough that it can no longer adjust its focus. It no longer has the flexibility to allow us to change our focus from distance to near. That is when everyone starts needing reading glasses if they have normal distance vision, or if they are already using glasses for distance, they would need to adjust to either progressive or bifocal types of lenses or separate distance and reading lenses.
It is a natural part of the aging process, and it is something that everyone typically gets quite frustrated with because they cannot function and do things the same way they typically would. Often, that impacts the ability to go to a restaurant and see a menu or do other up-close activities, even shaving or putting on makeup, reading a book, or working on our tablets or phones. It is something that impacts all of us, and we are happy to have solutions for it.
Q: Can you talk about TECNIS PureSee IOL and how it works to treat presbyopia?
Dr. Rajpal: We are proud at Johnson & Johnson to be leading many important advances in eye care, centered around solving unmet needs for patients. The TECNIS Intraocular Lenses are certainly a significant component of that. The optics of TECNIS IOL are very well recognized by surgeons, helping patients see better after cataract surgery with the various versions of the TECNIS IOL.
The TECNIS PureSee IOL is our latest advancement in presbyopia-correcting IOL. It is a purely refractive IOL, and it delivers high-quality vision, especially at high contrast and low light performance. It is a lens that allows patients to achieve an excellent distance and intermediate level of vision, plus functional near vision. It is designed to maintain a dysphotopsia profile that is comparable to a monofocal IOL, and that is really what drives patient acceptance and comfort. Finally, what surgeons really appreciate about it is that it provides a very high tolerance to refractive error. It allows us to achieve the outcomes we aim for when we do surgery.
Here’s what I mean by that. While cataract surgery is the number 1 surgery performed globally, with 28 million procedures each year, only 10% to 15% of patients are getting advanced optical IOLs specifically designed for astigmatism and presbyopia. That’s something we really look at and care about. We know that often is a direct result of the trade-off decisions surgeons and patients must make.
For example, you can have a lens that offers clear sight at all distances without needing glasses, but that may come with possible glares and halos. TECNIS PureSee is an innovation we’re really excited about, as it combats these issues and improves the overall outcomes for both patients and surgeons.
Q: How does this IOL differ from or compare to others?
Dr. Rajpal: As part of the TECNIS portfolio, it has the optics surgeons want and that we have seen excellent outcomes from. By being a refractive IOL, it has a comparable dysphotopsia profile to a monofocal, which means little to no visual side effects, such as halos, glares, and starburst. Finally, it is designed to offer uninterrupted vision in all lighting conditions, which is critical to patient outcomes and acceptance.
Q: Can you talk about the availability of TECNIS PureSee and how it is impacting patient outcomes?
Dr. Rajpal: We are fortunate that the TECNIS PureSee IOL is now available throughout Europe, and it is available in much of the Middle East as well as some other areas. It is already available in Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. While it is not yet available in the United States, we have started a limited market release in Canada, Latin America, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It is becoming available throughout areas of the world that are really seeking this type of option for surgeons to offer patients.
We are finding that there has been such a great response. It is readily available, and it is something that surgeons have been very comfortable implanting.
Q: The European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS) recently took place in Spain. Can you talk about Johnson & Johnson’s presentation there titled, “Vision Excellence Optimizing Outcomes in Presbyopia and Tolerance for Refractive Results?”
Dr. Rajpal: ESCRS is one of the largest and most influential ophthalmology conferences now because there is attendance from around the world. The key discussion around the symposium was about real-world evidence and cases, as well as the panelists’ experiences.
Since TECNIS PureSee is now available throughout the European and Middle Eastern markets, we compiled faculty that have had significant experience. A diverse panel of ophthalmologists spoke about their own experiences in terms of why they are choosing to use this lens and which patients they think it works best for, as well as patient outcomes. They also shared patient cases and actual results. It was a really interactive opportunity for ophthalmologists to understand what is different about this lens and where they can consider using it to support their patients.
Learn more at www.jjvision.com.
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