Industry News

Visual Field Test for European Drivers

Haag-Streit has become the first company offering a visual field test that fully complies with the EU Commission Directive 2009/113/EC on driving licenses. Until now, none of the existing methods—for example, the Esterman test—completely fulfils the requirements of this directive. As a result, legislative bodies of European countries and eyecare practitioners have struggled with its implementation. The company’s EyeSuite i9.10 perimetry update features a new driving perimetry test for the Octopus 900. This test is now being offered as an option in Norwegian law for driving licences, and more countries are expected to follow.

SLIT-LAMP COMPETITION

Haag-Streit invites eyecare professionals to participate in this year’s “Slit Lamp Imaging Competition 2022”. The company encourages participants to showcase their slit-lamp imaging skills. Judging criteria will include image quality, technical execution, and disease interest. The competition is open until 12th August 2022. Applicants should send their images to hsimagingcomp@gmail.com. Participation terms, rules, and regulations can be found at https://bit.ly/imagerules.

NEWS IN BRIEF

PRESBYOPIA-CORRECTING IOLS GAIN MOMENTUM

The rate of premium IOL implantation showed “dramatic growth” around the world in 2021, industry researcher Market Scope reported. The “2022 IOL Market Report” predicts the trend will continue, with a 42% increase in global revenue for 2022. The trend is driven in part by the increasing use of EDOF and trifocal lenses, which accounted for the majority of presbyopia-correcting IOLs implanted last year. Not surprisingly, presbyopia-correcting IOLs are more commonly implanted in wealthy countries. Presbyopia-correcting IOLs were slow to catch on in the US, but they now account for 10% of cases. The report predicts six million premium IOLs will be implanted in 2027.

FIRST-LINE GLAUCOMA LASER TREATMENT

BELKIN Vision announced that it had received the CE mark for the first automated, non-contact glaucoma laser treatment available within Europe. The company will roll out the Eagle™ laser in Europe in the second half of 2022.

“The health economic impact of DSLT technology is potentially significant and is anticipated to allow for greater access to high-quality, contactless glaucoma treatment across Europe. Current treatment options are more complex, and DSLT can change the first-line glaucoma treatment paradigm improving patient quality of life while at the same time improving access and allowing us to contribute to lower healthcare costs for both patients and health systems,” said Professor Sir Peng Tee Khaw of Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL, London, and member of the BELKIN Scientific Advisory Board.

The UK National Institute for Healthcare Excellence (NICE) has recently recommended laser treatment as a first-line treatment for newly diagnosed glaucoma patients, following similar guidelines by the European Glaucoma Society (EGS).