New Data Show Blue Light-Filtering Intraocular Lens Implantation During Cataract Surgery Increases A Nutritional Component Of The Eye, Which May Offer Protection Against Age-Related Vision Loss

New Data Show Blue Light-Filtering Intraocular Lens Implantation During
Cataract Surgery Increases A Nutritional Component Of The Eye, Which May Offer
Protection Against Age-Related Vision Loss
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) - A Major Cause of Vision Loss and
Blindness - Affects Millions of Older Persons

WATERFORD CITY, Ireland, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of an important new
study show that implantation of blue light-filtering intraocular lens (IOLs)
at the time of cataract surgery increases a nutritional component of the eye,
which may afford protection against the development and/or progression of
age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study, conducted by leading
ophthalmology and vision researchers from the Macular Pigment Research Group
at the Waterford Institute of Technology, is published in the October 2009
issue of the high impact journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
(IOVS).(1)

AMD is a disease affecting the central part of the retina and is the leading
cause of vision loss in the developed world.(2) Implantation of lenses that
do not filter blue light during cataract surgery has been shown to increase
the risk for development and/or progression of AMD.(3)

"Blue light-filtering lenses filter and block damaging blue light from
reaching the retina, which holds the potential of reducing vision loss and
improving the quality of life for millions of older patients," said the
study's chief investigator, John M. Nolan, Fulbright Scholar, BSc, PhD, deputy
director, Macular Pigment Research Group, Waterford Institute of Technology,
Waterford, Ireland. "These data represent an important first step in fully
realizing the benefits of blue light-filtering in improving a nutritional
component of the eye known as macular pigment. There is a strong scientific
rationale supported by an ever-growing body of scientific evidence which
suggests that macular pigment plays a role in reducing the onset and
progression of AMD."

Dr. Nolan and fellow Macular Pigment Research Group researchers discovered an
increase in macular pigment levels shortly after cataract surgery among the
study patients who had blue light-filtering IOLs implanted.(1)

"Since prolonged exposure to blue light is harmful to the retina, increased
levels of macular pigment are considered a strong surrogate marker for
protection against the processes that cause age-related blindness, including
AMD," says Dr. Nolan.

According to the study, the potential benefits associated with increased
macular pigment resulting from the use of blue light-filtering lenses for
prevention and/or decreased progression of AMD would be conferred at the time
of cataract surgery and are expected to continue thereafter, over a patient's
lifetime.(1) This is especially meaningful in the modern era of cataract
surgery, which is being performed annually in millions of older persons who
live for many years after the procedure, as well as certain patient subgroups,
who have had the surgery at an earlier age.(2) The researchers note that
further studies are needed to confirm the clinical benefit of their
findings.(1)

About the Study
Dr. Nolan and colleagues conducted a prospective study in which 42 patients
scheduled for cataract surgery were randomized to implantation with a blue
light-filtering acrylic IOL or a standard acrylic IOL (control), with macular
pigment optical density measured by a reliable method (heterochromatic flicker
photometry), and serum concentrations of the macular carotenoids were
quantified by a scientific procedure known as high performance liquid
chromatography, prior to surgery and then at several post-procedural time
points over a 1-year follow-up period.(1)

Cataract surgery in older persons, where the natural diseased lens (cataract)
is replaced with a clear artificial IOL, has been associated with increased
subsequent risk for macular disease,(4) perhaps due to increased transmission
of potentially injurious short-wavelength (blue) light to the retina.(3)

Therefore, lens manufacturers have incorporated a blue light-filter into IOLs
to help reduce photo-oxidative retinal injury and thereby reduce the risk of
new-onset AMD and/or its progression. Evidence suggests that photo-oxidative
stress is important in the development of AMD.(5) The likelihood of retinal
damage is highest for short-wavelength light (blue light). Several parts of
the eye, most importantly the lens, act as filters to block short-wavelength
light from reaching the retina.(4)

Macular pigment is thought to protect against AMD because it absorbs
short-wavelength (blue) light before it reaches photoreceptors in the retina
and because of its antioxidant properties (decreases oxidative stress by
quenching free radicals). Portions of the eye behind (posterior to) macular
pigment are exposed to approximately six times the amount of blue light in
persons having the lowest levels of macular pigment, as compared to those with
the highest levels.(5) Macular pigment is obtained entirely from the diet and
transported to the retina via the blood. Therefore, ongoing research is being
conducted to determine to what extent a person's diet may affect AMD. However,
the data available to date is in support of such a notion.(5)

About Cataracts and AMD
As the aging population grows and becomes a larger percentage of the overall
population, age-related diseases such as cataracts and AMD will become more
prevalent.(6)

Surgical removal of cataracts - lens that have become clouded from buildup of
protein - is the most frequently performed surgery in the U.S.(7), with more
than 6 million cataract surgeries currently performed each year in the U.S.
and Europe combined.(7,8) While vision is almost universally improved
immediately following cataract removal, implantation of lens that does not
filter harmful short wavelength (blue) light may hasten the progression of
AMD,(5) the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60 in the
U.S.(9)

AMD is a disease that affects part of the back of the eye called the macula,
the central part of the retina. The central vision of affected individuals
becomes blurry or wavy and can be eventually lost, which severely alters their
quality of life.(9,10) Approximately 25-30 million individuals are affected
worldwide, with the number estimated to triple in the next 25 years.(11)

About Waterford Institute
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is one of the largest Institutes of
Technology in Ireland with over 10,000 students and 1,000 staff. WIT was
established as a Regional Technical College in 1970, and was the first to be
awarded Institute of Technology designation in 1998. The Institute conducts
research and teaching across a wide variety of areas including business,
engineering, science, education, health sciences and humanities, providing
expert commentary on a range of topics.

As part of the Department of Chemical and Life Sciences at the Waterford
Institute of Technology, the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG) is one of
the leading research centers in the world investigating macular pigment and
its potential role in preventing AMD and enhancing visual performance. The
work of the MPRG has received both national and international recognition,
reflected in research prizes, scholarships, grant support and peer-reviewed
publications (over 30 high-impact scientific publications on this topic). The
MPRG currently consists of ten members; researchers within the group cover a
wide variety of disciplines including ophthalmology, vision science,
optometry, chemical and biological sciences, statistics and nutrition.

Editor's Note: The study conducted by the researchers at the Macular Pigment
Research Group of the Waterford Institute of Technology was published in the
October 2009 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. For
more information on the study authors and financial disclosure, the abstract
can be accessed at: http://www.iovs.org/cgi/content/abstract/50/10/4777.

References
1. Nolan J, O'Reilly, P, Loughman, J, et al. Augmentation of macular pigment
following implantation of blue light-filtering intraocular lenses at the time
of cataract surgery. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
2009;50:4777-4785.

2. World Health Organization (WHO). Priority eye diseases. Available at:
http://www.who.int/blindness/causes/priority/en/index8.html. Accessed October
20, 2009.

3. Algvere PV, Marshall J, Seregard, S. Age-related maculopathy and the
impact of blue light hazard. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2006;84(1):4-15.

4. Wang JJ, Klein R, Smith W, Klein BE, Tomany S, Mitchell P. Cataract
surgery and the 5-year incidence of late-stage age-related maculopathy: Pooled
findings from the Beaver Dam and Blue Mountains eye study. Ophthalmology.
2003;110:1960-7.

5. Bartlett H, Eperjesi F. Macular pigment: The role of xanthophylls in
preventing AMD. OT. Available at: www.macuscope.com/Eperjesi_19506.pdf.
Accessed October 15, 2009.

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Why is vision loss a
public health problem? At:
http://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/basic_information/vision_loss.htm. Accessed
October 20, 2009.

7. American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery & American Society of
Ophthalmic Administrators (ASCRS & ASOA). Fact Sheet--Cataract Surgery &
Prostate Drug Complications. At:
http://www.ascrs.org/press_releases/upload/Patient-Information-Sheet-on-Prostate-Drugs-and-Cataract-Surgery.pdf.
Accessed October 20, 2009.

8. European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS). Revised
ESCRS guidelines could save sight of thousands of cataract patients each year.
At: http://www.escrs.org/PUBLICATIONS/EUROTIMES/07Sept/dailymon/endo.asp.
Accessed October 20, 2009.

9. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Leading causes of blindness. At:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/summer08/articles/summer08pg14-15.html.
Accessed on October 20, 2009.

10. National Eye Institute (NEI). Age-related macular degeneration. At:
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp. Accessed October
20, 2009.

11. AMD Alliance International. AMD fact sheet. At:
http://www.amdalliance.org/resources/mediakit/amdfactsheet.php. Accessed
October 15, 2009.

SOURCE Waterford Institute of Technology

Iris Shaffer, +1-708-799-6284, Mobile: +1-708-297-1712,
ishaffer@cooneywaters.com