HOW TO CREATE INTRAOCULAR LENSES (IOL) FOR DOGS AND CATS
OptoVet company, Moscow, Russia
It is no secret that 99% of existing animal IOLs are only slightly modified ordinary "human IOLs". Large manufacturing companies produce a veterinary model based on an existing human model, just slightly increasing its size and changing the diopter. Why? - the answer is simple: because it is EASIER and CHEAPER. No need to change technology, you don't need to invent anything, you don't need to re-calculate, test, no need to invest money. "New and ultra-modern" veterinary models " from the world's leading manufacturers – are, in fact, ordinary human IOLs (Table 1).
Manufacturers "do not hesitate" and certain commercial advertising moves, pointing out that their veterinary lenses have "super-quality aspherical optics", and even try to make them "multifocal", probably assuming that for a dog or cat (which, unlike a human, has no macular area and very weak accommodation), it will be extremely necessary after the operation to be able to send TEXT messages, read a book, watch TV, and even drive a car…
However, what is developed for humans is not always suitable for animals. The parameters of veterinary IOLs "copied" from human models do not correspond to some important anatomical parameters of the capsule bag in dogs and cats, and can potentially provoke a number of dangerous complications, especially in patients with complex cataracts (cataracts in growing animals, traumatic cataracts, cataracts in very old animals, etc.)
In contrast to the generally accepted practice, we initially sought to create the most suitable IOL for veterinary purposes. In the process of creating our IOL models, we used data obtained from a thorough analysis of hundreds of operations performed; consultations with leading human microsurgeons, painstaking work of technical specialists – engineers, designers, draughtsmen, etc., that finally allowed us to create the optimal IOL model for animals.
INTERESTING INFORMATION: First Russian article on choosing an Intraocular Lens for implantation in dogs and cats (2007): Choosing an Intraocular Lens for implantation.
How to create intraocular lenses (IOL)
for dogs and cats
