WASHINGTON (AP) – The FDA has approved a surgically implantable lens designed to treat nearsightedness, giving myopic adults another alternative to eyeglasses or Lasik surgery, Staar Surgical Co. said Friday.
The Monrovia, Calif. manufacturer of eye surgery products said it expected to start shipping Myopic Visian ICL to trained doctors within eight weeks. It will join on the market another implantable lens, the Artisan, made by the Dutch company Ophtec B.V. and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004.
The Staar lens is designed to be permanently implanted in the eye, unlike Lasik, where the cornea is reshaped by removing tissue. The lens sits behind the eye’s natural lens but can be removed if a patient develops cataracts.
The ICL is approved for sale in 41 countries. It has successfully been implanted in more than 40,000 eyes worldwide, the company said.
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