During the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Adam Muzychuk, MD, BSc, FRCSC, shared insights from his presentation titled “Outcomes of an ultra-low cylinder powered (0.90) toric versus non-toric in low astigmatic patients undergoing cataract surgery.” In an interview with Ophthalmology Times Europe, Dr. Muzychuk discussed key points from his lecture.
Dr. Muzychuk, who specializes in cornea and external disease, practices in Calgary, Alberta, and holds an affiliation with the University of Calgary. His study aimed to compare outcomes between ultra-low cylinder power toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) and non-toric IOLs in patients with low astigmatism.
The study was prompted by a significant paper in 2021 that established 0.5 diopters or more of refractive astigmatism as visually significant. Dr. Muzychuk sought to investigate the accuracy and efficacy of treating this level of astigmatism using commonly available equipment like the IOLMaster 500 from ZEISS Meditec and the Storz Bubble Marker from Bausch + Lomb.
The results of the study revealed that patients who received the 0.90 toric IOL experienced a substantially greater reduction in astigmatism postoperatively. Nearly three times as many eyes achieved plano cylinder outcomes compared to the non-toric group, and a higher proportion of eyes achieved outcomes within a quarter diopter. Impressively, 92.2% of eyes with the 0.90 toric IOL were within half a diopter of plano cylinder.
Dr. Muzychuk emphasized the significance of the study, particularly in regions like the United States where regulatory approvals for 0.90 diopter toric lenses are pending. He highlighted the effectiveness of these lenses in reducing visually significant postoperative cylinder and the potential for improved visual performance and patient satisfaction.
