PATIENTS can look forward to safer and faster cataract surgery at Asian Eye Institute (AEI), which recently upgraded its cataract surgery machine and software to the Alcon OZil intelligent phaco (IP) system, the new standard of care in cataract treatment available in the Philippines.

The Alcon OZil IP system, introduced at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery convention in September 2009, improves surgical efficiency by managing the energy delivered into the eye for easier and safer cataract removal. To treat cataracts, phacoemulsification is performed using ultrasonic energy and water to break them into pieces and wash them out.

According to AEI specialist and cataract surgeon Dr. Harvey Uy, the OZil IP system keeps the cataract at the tip of the instrument and optimizes the use of ultrasound and water to remove the cataract; the software monitors the ongoing phacoemulsification conditions. The software keeps the eye in its natural state, stabilizing eye pressure. It also controls the movement of cataract towards and through the tip of the instrument, minimizing the energy delivered into the eye.

Patients spend less time in the operating room because of shorter surgical time, reducing the risk of infection. Most importantly, majority can recover their vision on the same or next day as the use of the IP system speeds up the healing process. With the implantation of premium intraocular lenses to replace the clouded lenses, their ability to read can also be restored even if they have astigmatism. The adoption of the OZil IP system is a proof of AEI’s commitment to provide quality eye care. It is the first eye center in the country to have the phacoemulsification technology.