LenSar (New York), a startup company, says it is developing a new laser therapy that could potentially remove cataracts from people's eyes more efficiently and with greater precision than the current technology used to treat cataracts. The company presented the technology at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology (San Francisco) meeting.

Joseph Dello Russo, MD, a New York ophthalmologist who was among the first doctors to perform laser eye surgery, told Medical Device Daily that he has watched LenSar's technology develop from a concept in 2004 to an actual laser, which the company began testing on patients in Mexico about a year and a half ago. More recently, the company began testing the laser on patients in the Philippines, he said.

Russo has been affiliated with LenSar since its inception and up until about six months ago was on the company's board.

LenSar plans to continue testing human patients outside the U.S. until it has collected enough data to support that the technology actually works, Russo said. The company said it plans to start treating patients in the U.S. if the FDA will consider the technology to be safe an effective, based on the data.

Cataracts are currently treated with a device known as a Phacoemulsifier, which uses ultrasound waves to break up the contents of the cataract and, according to LenSar, was nicknamed in the mid-seventies a "laser."

"People think of it as a laser, which it's not," Russo said. While the current technology is generally considered very safe, he said that results largely depend on the skill of the surgeon doing the procedure.

LenSar believes that its laser will make cataract surgery easier to perform. Although the new device will cost more than the existing technology, LenSar says the speed of surgery may compensate for that by allowing more procedures to be performed in less time.

Russo explained that the new laser technology has the potential to allow for the use of premium implants, which set up bifocal vision as well as provide a better way to treat astigmatism. Such implants, Russo said, work best if they are implanted exactly in the center of the eye, which will depend upon the perfection of the capsulotomy – the incision into the crystalline lens of the eye to remove cataracts – which is currently done by hand. "Most of us can do that pretty good, but there's nothing like a laser that can do it precise[ly]," he said.

Improved precision would also make the procedure safer, Russo said. "It's taking the surgeon out somewhat and making the laser do the work so it can be consistent all the time."

But only time – and more clinical testing – will tell if LenSar's new laser technology will work. So far though, Russo says the results look promising. According to LenSar, the laser has been used in about 100 operations outside the U.S.

The company was formed by LenSar's CEO, Randy Frey, PhD, a scientist best known for the LASIK laser he developed, according to the company.

LenSar acknowledged that it is in a head-to-head competition to be the first to commercialize the laser technology. However, Frey claims that he holds important patent applications, which allow the company to focus on R&D and pay less attention to competitors. He believes that LenSar's patents will prevail and will have a legal claim on any such devices, regardless of their maker.

Russo told MDD that he suspects that LenSar's strongest competitor is a company called LenSx Lasers (Aliso Viejo, California). "Either LenSx or LenSar is going to be first," he said, adding, "I'm not sure it's important to be first or not."

According to LenSar, the real financial benefit for the company is not in the sale of the laser but in the "royalty-like" fee that is paid to the company each time the laser is used.

Amanda Pedersen; 229-471-4212
amanda.pedersen@ahcmedia.com