Zeiss has been promoting its expansive portfolio of new cataract surgery technologies, with a series of events in Victoria, Western Australia, and New South Wales.
At a recent Sydney event, attendees heard about Australian experiences with EQ Workplace, which offers connected cataract workflow, the Zeiss Quatera 700, and an early evaluation of the Zeiss CT Lucia 621P monofocal intraocular lens (IOL).
Dr Weng Sehu, a Sydney-based cataract and oculoplastic surgeon, said he had been using EQ Workplace for 18 months.
EQ Workplace is a digital workflow assistant based on Zeiss’s Forum data management solution. It links to other devices in the cataract workflow and to Callisto Eye in the theatre.
When it comes to adopting any new technique or process… you have to think about what your end goal is. Think of it as a new workflow…
Event attendees were told that the system followed five steps, starting with a review of diagnostic data and pre-calculation, then IOL calculation and selection, followed by surgery preparation for Callisto Eye. A fourth step enables IOLs to be ordered via email and finally there is post-surgery review.
Speaking about his experiences with EQ Workplace, Dr Sehu said he runs a paperless office, and with the software system “there’s only one point of entry for patient identification, so there is consistency”.
He said traditional IOL selection, ordering and alignment is a multistep, error-prone process.
The integrated workflow reduced paperwork and the need for transcription, reducing the possibility of error. He said EQ Workplace gave him a “better feel for the planning process”.
“This has basically been very good for me in terms of confidence and accuracy,” he said.
“When it comes to adopting any new technique or process… you have to think about what your end goal is. Think of it as a new workflow, don’t try to do anything retrospective. There might be some pain in changing your mindset, but I think it is better, (it has) actually decreased a lot of paperwork,” he said.
New Experience with Phaco
Next up, Dr Brad Townend, a general ophthalmologist with an interest in cataract, spoke of his experience with the Zeiss Quatera 700 in use at the Central Coast Day Hospital.
Dr Townend said he agreed to trial the machine and was “hooked” by the end of that day’s list, saying it provided an “incredible level of stability and consistency” and lived up to the “elimination of post-occlusion surge” claim made by Zeiss.
The Zeiss Quattro pump provided chamber stability independent of intraocular pressure and flow, connected to operating room devices for more efficiency and provided a relaxed surgical experience, he said.
“I was impressed at the rapid responsiveness of the machine,” Dr Townend said.
Monofocal IOL
The final speaker was Associate Professor Smita Agarwal, a senior comprehensive ophthalmologist based on the south coast of New South Wales. She provided an early evaluation of a new Zeiss monofocal, non-constant aberration-correcting aspheric IOL, the CT Lucia 621P.
She said there was a “large subgroup” who were happy to choose monofocal IOLs and wear readers to avoid any disturbance to clear, crisp distance vision.
This group needed a monofocal IOL which gives “clear vision with stability and consistent results without any long-term risk and photic phenomenon”, she said.
Assoc Prof Agarwal described the new Zeiss IOL as an “innovative design to deal with imperfect eyes, imperfect surgery and surgeons”.
“There are aspheric IOLs that are fully or partly compensating corneal asphericity. There are other aspheric IOLs which are aberration-neutral. CT Lucia unique Zeiss optic is both,” she said.
“It comes in .5 diopter increments from zero to 34 diopters as clear or yellow… It is very forgiving if it is not centred well in the bag because of the way the lens is designed.”
She concluded by saying the IOL was an effective option for patients undergoing cataract surgery, and a promising stable platform for expansion of further IOL options.
