Verisyse Refractive IOL

Good News for People with Severe Nearsightedness

After Verisyse IOL, 90% have 20/40 or Better

The Verisyse Refractive Intraocular Lens (IOL) Implant was approved by the FDA in September 2004. Dr. Jonathan Christenbury was the first surgeon in the Southeast to perform the procedure. Now Dr. Christenbury has performed more than 30 Verisyse Implants with outstanding results. When surveyed three months after the procedure, here is what patients reported:

90% could drive a car without glasses or contact lenses
90% achieved 20/40 vision or better
More than 50% were within a line of 20/20 vision (20/20 is the standard measure of good vision)
5% were three lines better than 20/20 vision

Here’s what one extremely satisfied patient has to say about her results:

"I’ve been dependent on glasses and contacts since I was 10 and was so nearsighted I couldn’t see anything clearly unless it was pressed to my face. With two busy toddlers and obstacles all over the house, I need to be on top of things 24 hours a day and can’t be a moment without the ability to see what’s going on."

"After hearing so much about LASIK, I made up my mind to try it. Unfortunately, after my consultation with Dr. Christenbury, he told me my cornea was not thick enough for LASIK to correct my extreme nearsightedness. I was devastated. But the doctor told me a new procedure would soon be available to people like myself. Soon after the Verisyse received FDA approval, the office called me and I had the procedure done on my left eye first. The hardest part was waiting for the bandages to come off the next morning."

"In the office the next day, I realized my prayers were answered as I read the 20/30 line without my glasses, when only hours before I had been approximately -9 diopters with astigmatism. I sat there in the chair unable to stop crying, overcome by what I was experiencing. One week later I could see 20/25 in that eye, and by the second week, my vision had improved to 20/20."

"The surgery on the right eye went exactly as planned. The day after the procedure, this eye was 20/40, compared to nearly -11 diopters with astigmatism before. I was legal to drive home without glasses! There are no words to describe how happy I am. Now, I can see crisp and clearly in each eye, both far and close-up. Thank you for making this possible for me and others. I highly recommend Dr. Christenbury and this procedure."

Tandra Lintz
Fort Mill, South Carolina

Verisyse Refractive IOL

The refractive or phakic lens implant procedure is recommended for patients who do not qualify for LASIK due to severe nearsightedness, farsightedness, or cases where the cornea is too thin for LASIK. In the past, a clear lensectomy with a lens replacement implant might have been performed (usually in cataract surgery), removing the ability to read up close for patients under age 40. Because your own natural lens is left in place, the phakic lens implant retains your lens’ natural ability to read up close and adjust for objects farther away.

The Verisyse lens has been implanted in over 150,000 eyes in Europe, with a 60% implantation rate compared to all other phakic IOLs, over the past 18 years. It is composed of the same plastic material that has been used in lens implants for more than 30 years. The lens is easily inserted and if necessary, can be easily removed, making the entire procedure reversible. This outpatient procedure requires mild sedation and is performed in approximately 10-15 minutes.

Dr. Jonathan Christenbury was the first surgeon in the Southeast to perform the Verisyse Refractive Intraocular Lens (IOL) Implant. The refractive or phakic lens implant procedure is recommended for patients who do not qualify for LASIK due to severe nearsightedness, farsightedness, or cases where the cornea is too thin for LASIK. In the past, a clear lensectomy with a lens replacement implant might have been performed (usually in cataract surgery), removing the ability to read up close for patients under age 40. Because your own natural lens is left in place, the phakic lens implant retains your lens’ natural ability to read up close and adjust for objects farther away.

View The Verisyse Refractive IOL FAQ by Clicking Here!

FDA clinical trial:

In a recent FDA clinical trial assessing 155 patients with nearsightedness ranging from -5.5 to -22.5 diopters, patient satisfaction ratings with Verisyse(tm) were as follows:

84% rated quality of vision "favorable"
91% rated satisfaction with surgery "favorable"
92% would recommend the procedure

In order to properly calculate the necessary power required of the Verisyse lens, Dr. Christenbury will perform a refraction (measure of myopia), keratometry (measure of the power of the cornea) and biometry (measuring various eye dimensions).

The Verisyse procedure corrects myopia (nearsightedness) and the results have shown a quality of vision that is better than the results of a traditional LASIK procedure pushing the limits of what it was designed for. The Verisyse corrects from -5.00 up to -20.00 diopters of myopia or nearsightedness. This overlaps with the range that LASIK can correct, up to -12.00 D. In the future, some higher myopia LASIK candidates may actually receive Verisyse lens implants for the best visual correction. The Verisyse is available in two different optic diameters for varying size pupils.

Results show that the Verisyse lens can correct the majority of high degrees of myopia in patients. 85-90% of patients are 20/40 or better after the lens implant. Approximately 40% of patients may still need a LASIK enhancement to correct astigmatism or residual myopia. The Verisyse Lens has shown a lower risk of inducing a cataract either at the time of the procedure or long term when compared to other refractive IOLs.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks including temporary or permanent vision loss. Your doctor will explain these risks to you and ensure that you understand them completely. For more details about what to expect before, during and after your Verisyse procedure, ask us for the complete Patient Information booklet available from AMO and Christenbury Eye Center.

How Verisyse Works

The procedure involves placing the Verisyse Refractive IOL behind your cornea and on top of your iris. This gives your eye another focusing lens that provides high-quality, high-definition vision like a normal eye. Although the Verisyse Phakic IOL is intended to be permanent, the procedure is reversible if desired. Leaving your natural crystalline lens in place is important because of its important role in helping your eye adjust between seeing objects that are near and far.

About the Verisyse Procedure

Implanting the Verisyse IOL is an outpatient procedure that takes around 15 to 30 minutes. Usually, one eye is treated at a time.
1.  Drops will be placed in your eyes in order to reduce the pupil size.
2.  For better access to your eye, your doctor will use an instrument to comfortably hold your eyelids open during the procedure.
3.  A local anesthetic is given to sedate the eye, so the procedure is virtually painless.
4.  A small incision is made in the cornea for the Verisyse IOL to be placed in the space between the iris and the cornea.
5.  The Verisyse Refractive IOL is centered in front of the pupil (the black part in the center of your eye), and is gently attached to the iris (the colored part of your eye) to hold the lens in place.
6.  The small incision is closed with microscopic stitches that dissolve on their own.
7.  A temporary shield will be placed over your eye to protect it during the time just after the procedure.

Indications for Use

Verisyse(tm) Phakic Intraocular Lenses are intended for the reduction or elimination of myopia in adults with myopia ranging from -5 to -20 diopters with less than or equal to 2.5 diopters of astigmatism at the spectacle plane and whose eyes have an anterior chamber depth greater than or equal to 3.2 mm, and for patients with documented stability of manifest refraction for the prior six months as demonstrated by a spherical equivalent change of less than or equal to 0.50 diopter. Prescription Only.

Precautions: Do not resterilize this lens by any method; do not store the lens at temperatures over 45 degrees C (113 degrees F).

Warnings: Surgeons should consider the risk/benefit ratio for adults with preoperative ocular pathology, including but not limited to inflammation, distorted eye and microbial infection.

Adverse Events: Adverse events that have been documented as having occurred following lens implantation include, but are not limited to, hyphema, retinal detachment and lens dislocation. For a complete listing of precautions, warnings and adverse events, refer to the package insert.