Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center of Houston Chosen As Site of U.S. Launch of New FDA-Approved All-Laser Custom Cataract Surgery

Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center, a leading vision care center headquartered in Houston, Texas, announced today the successful launch of the first U.S. introduction of an all-laser custom cataract surgery technology that will change the future of cataract treatment.

The Mann Eye Institute is the first vision care center in a worldwide rollout of the new Catalys Precision Laser System, an FDA-approved cataract laser technology designed by OptiMedica, a global ophthalmic company based in Santa Clara, CA.

The advanced technology delivers what Mike Mann, MD, FACS, founder of the Mann Eye Institute, calls an ultra-premium experience for cataract surgery patients that improves comfort, enhances results and delivers a custom, individually tailored procedure for each patient.

The noninvasive laser technology replaces the need for a manually held surgical blade and uses a combination of femtosecond laser pulses, pattern scanning recognition software and real-time 3D imaging guidance.

Specifically, the new technology improves cataract surgery in several major ways: 3D image guidance ensures that the laser energy reaches the exact target in the eye every single time, enhancing the precision and accuracy of the procedure.

The laser itself allows for even greater consistency over the most challenging aspects of cataract surgery: making the corneal incision, fragmenting and removing the old lens, and performing an anterior capsulotomy, an incision that opens the capsule that covers the lens.

Each year more than 2.5 million people undergo cataract surgery. It is one of the most common and successful procedures in the U.S. today. It is estimated that by age 80, more than half of all men and women will either have cataracts or have undergone surgery by then.

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye. The lens is responsible for focusing the light entering the eye on the retina, which then sends images to the brain. As the lens clouds, it blocks light from reaching the retina, making vision blurry. Eventually, vision will be lost without treatment.

During cataract surgery, a tiny incision is made in the eye and the damaged cloudy lens is removed. A new clear lens implant is then inserted into the eye. The incision self-seals, so no stitches are required. Recovery is quick with good vision usually expected the day following surgery.

The introduction of the new all-laser cataract surgery is a giant step forward from the early days, when removing a cataract meant patients would have to wear thick glasses in order to see. Lens implants were the next step in the continuum of progress and more recently, premium active life lens implants were introduced that give patients the ability to see at all distances while reducing or eliminating the need for glasses. Now the all-laser procedure is taking cataract surgery to the next level of experience for both surgeons and patients.

Mann Eye Institute chose the Catalys laser cataract surgery technology after a rigorous selection process in which Doctors Mike Mann and Paul Mann compared different laser cataract technologies. As part of this process, they observed and performed Catalys cases at sites in both the Dominican Republic and Germany.

“We’ve been looking forward to offering our patients laser cataract surgery but wanted to be sure that we selected the best technology available,” said Dr. Mike Mann. “Catalys represents what surely will become the gold standard in cataract surgery and is the type of innovation Mann Eye patients have come to expect.”