Albany, New York—September 4, 2019

Always committed to bringing patients the best and latest technology in the field of eye care, Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region is now among the earliest in the country to offer its cataract patients the first and only FDA-approved trifocal lens.

Dr. Allen Zieker implanted the AcrySof^® IQ PanOptix^® Trifocal Intraocular Lens (IOL) in a cataract patient on Tuesday, September 3, just one week after Alcon announced the FDA approval and its initial U.S. commercial launch of the PanOptix lens. Dr. Zieker, president and director of cataract surgery at Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region, is one of the first in the United States and is the first surgeon in New York and New England to implant the PanOptix lens.

“The new AcrySof^® IQ PanOptix^® Trifocal IOL gives our cataract patients the chance for glasses-free vision after surgery like never before,” Dr. Zieker stated. “This lens offers an outstanding range of vision—near, intermediate, and far—and gives people the vision they need for every facet of their life. We are proud to be among the first in the United States to offer our patients the benefits of a trifocal lens, which has already seen great success worldwide.”

Although Alcon’s PanOptix lens is just now entering the U.S. market, PanOptix is already one of the leading presbyopia-correcting IOLs in more than 70 countries and European surgeons have been using trifocal lenses in their patients since 2015 with overwhelming success.

Before the introduction of trifocal lenses, cataract patients would have to choose between monofocal lenses—offering sharp focusing power at a single distance, either close up (near vision) or far away (distance vision)—or multifocal lenses, which provide excellent near and distance vision, but do so at the expense of intermediate vision. Intermediate vision refers to eyesight at about an arms-distance away and includes everything from computer work to reading a car speedometer to cooking.

The PanOptix Trifocal IOL features a proprietary design, ENLIGHTEN^® Optical Technology, which is the first to optimize intermediate vision without compromising near or distance vision. This triple combination of exceptional near, intermediate, and distance vision means that the need for glasses after cataract surgery is significantly reduced.

Internationally, the adoption of trifocal lens implants has already eclipsed the use of traditional multifocals, as trifocals deliver functional vision for distance, intermediate and near without requiring monovision or mixing and matching different IOLs, and the U.S. is sure to follow suit. The FDA approval of PanOptix was based on a pivotal study at 12 investigational sites in the U.S., and with the single trifocal lens design, PanOptix patients demonstrated exceptional, uninterrupted vision. The results also showed high patient satisfaction with more than 99 percent of PanOptix patients in the study saying they would choose the same lens again.

The PanOptix IOL is available in both spherical (standard) and toric designs (to correct astigmatism), meaning most every type of cataract patient can benefit from the many advantages of the trifocal lens.

Alcon will be leading U.S. ophthalmologist training on the PanOptix IOL through the rest of 2019 into early 2020 and patients across the country can expect to be able to choose the PanOptix lens soon. Thanks to Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region’s early lead with this new technology, though, patients throughout the Capital Region can already begin benefitting from the first trifocal lens available in the U.S.

ABOUT OPHTHALMIC CONSULTANTS OF THE CAPITAL REGION

At Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region, we offer a comprehensive model of eye care with experienced specialists, ophthalmologists & optometrists.  We have 5 convenient locations in Albany, Clifton Park, Schenectady, Schodack, and Troy.

ABOUT ALLEN ZIEKER, M.D.

Dr. Allen Zieker has been in practice as an ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon for more than 33 years. Working with cataract patients is his passion; in fact, Dr. Zieker performs more than 1,500 cataract surgeries annually. During his career, he has completed well over 7,000 laser procedures and several thousand astigmatic surgeries.

In 2018 Dr. Allen Zieker was the first cataract surgeon in the United States to implant the enVista® toric MX60T intraocular lens. In 2019, he was one of the first surgeons in upstate New York to implant the Hydrus® Microstent in glaucoma patients during cataract surgery. Dr. Allen Zieker is at the forefront of eye care, seeking out the latest advancements in technology and treatment options.

Dr. Allen Zieker was the founder of Troy Eye Associates and a founding member of Albany-Troy Cataract and Laser Associates. Expansion into communities surrounding Albany and Troy led to the renaming of the practice to Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region. The goal of the expansion is to better serve patients from all the areas of the Capital District. Dr. Allen Zieker is the President of the practice and Director of Cataract Surgery.