Just how common is AMD?
1. Approximately 30 million people are affected by the disease, around 90% of these have the dry, or non-exudative form of AMD.
2. AMD is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in both developed and developing countries, particularly in people older than 60 years.
3. AMD is more common in women than men and people of Caucasian and Chinese ethnicity are more likely to be affected by the disease.
4. Two thirds of patients with advanced AMD and a visual acuity of 0.3 or less are pseudophakic – these patients can benefit from the SML.
Treatment of AMD
The treatment of exudative WET AMD through anti-angiogenesis therapy presents patients with an effective option that can prevent blindness and, in many cases, restore their vision.
Currently there is no effective medication available for DRY AMD and treatment possibilities are limited to low vision rehabilitation devices (low vision aids and low vision intraocular implants).
The SML is a novel intraocular implant which was developed to enhance the quality of life of pseudophakic patients with advanced DRY AMD.
SML HISTORY – THE INVENTORS
The SML is a joint innovation of Prof. Gábor Scharioth and Medicontur Medical engineering, a medical device company with 30 years of focused experience with intraocular implants.
During my ophthalmological practice macular diseases have always been my special concern, especially Age-related Macular Degeneration.
I had to find again and again that patients evaluate treatment outcomes differently from us doctors. While a patient maintains their ability to focus and orientate themself, they are usually not able to read anymore.
These observations finally led to the development of our Macula Lens in cooperation with the Hungarian company Medicontur Medical Engineering.
Prof. Gábor B. Scharioth, MD, PhD
Medicontur Medical Engineering is an independent European company which has been in existence since 1989. With more than 5 million intraocular implants inserted across 60 countries, we have been at the forefront of developing innovative IOL solutions with a focus on high quality material, design and optics. Our concept is to provide ophthalmologists with the one best option for their patient.
The SML project gives AMD patients the chance to regain their lost abilities and to improve their quality of life. This is something that we, together with Prof. Gábor Scharioth, are very proud of. The first SML was implanted in 2013, and since then multiple clinics world-wide have included this novel solution into their practice.
Alexandra Kontur, MD, PhD
Scientific Director
MULTICENTRIC STUDY
Quick facts
8
Countries
9
Centers
106
Eyes implanted in total
Conclusion of the clinical studies:
- Patients were satisfied or highly satisfied
- Predictability = Strong correlation between preoperative CnvA +6.0D at 15 cm and postoperative nvA at 15 cm
- Preoperative testing allows to predict postoperative results and enables you to set realistic expectations with your patient
- Improvement with time and training: nvA: D1 < D7 < M1: After 1 month near visual acuity was stable (unless the maculopathy worsened)
- Training– Postsurgical training of patients is of utmost importance– Significantly improves outcome after surgery
Please note: If indications are set properly and patients are trained appropriately after surgery, results are good or excellent.
- Scharioth Gb. new add-on intraocular lens for patients with age-related macular degeneration.
J Cataract refract Surg. 2015; 41:1559-63. - Srinivasan S et al. Implantation of Scharioth macular lens in patients with age-related macular degeneration:
results of a prospective European multicenter clinical trial. Poster at ESCRS 2016; Presentation at AAO 2016. - Nekolová J et al. The Scharioth macula lens: postoperative care and its importance for best results.
Poster at ESCRS 2016. - Nekolová J et al. Scharioth Macula Lens: A new intraocular implant for low-vision patients with stabilized
maculopathy – first experience. biomed Pap Med Fac univ Palacky Olomouc Czech repub. 2017; 161:206-209. - Reiter n et al. Assessment of a new hydrophilic acrylic supplementary IOL for sulcus fixation in pseudophakic
cadaver eyes. Eye 2017; 31:802-809. - Bereczki Á. Clinical results and patients satisfaction after implantation of 15 patients with Scharioth Macula Lens.
Presentation at SHIOL 2017.
HOW DO I START?
To be succesfull with the SML there are some preconditions to guarantee an adequate setup:
you work at a clinic or an outpatient surgery center
you have experience with macular degeneration and low vision patients
you are prepared for diagnosing low vision patients (available personnel and equipment)
you have a trained doctor or optician to take care of low vision patients
you are a cataract surgeon
you are a retinal specialist or you have a retinal specialist in your team
you have OCT (for macular imaging) at the clinic
you have a doctor and/or an optician who will be dedicated for pre- and post-operative care and training of implanted patients or you cooperate or have an agreement with an organization taking care of low-vision patients.
What does it take to get happy patients?
- Precise patient selection and indication (supported by the Medicontur Scientific Team and tools)
- Alignment of expectations and reality
- Postsurgical patient training
SURGEONS ARE SATISFIED WITH THE OUTCOME
AFTER IMPLANTATION OF PATIENTS WITH SML
Satish Srinivasan
MD, FRCSEd, FRCOphth, FACS (UK)
I have found SML to be a simple, safe and effective option to enhance reading vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
Anneliese Riehl
MD (Germany)
The SML provides important progress for AMD patients, to manage their daily routine.
Prof. MUDr. Pavel Rozsival
(Czech Republic)
SML – a new hope for patients with AMD, enabling a return to active life without stigmatization and for a reasinable price.
Prof. Zoltán Z. Nagy
MD, PhD; Med Habil. DSc (Hungary)
Patient selection is paramount. In the case of our meticulously selected macular patients the SML provided a good reading visual acuity. Patients were happy with the results.
Gustav Muus
Managing Director at the Eye Hospital Denmark
Provides the opportunity to change.
