Surgeon reports high patient satisfaction with hydrogel corneal inlay

BOSTON – Overall patient satisfaction is 98% after implantation with the Raindrop inlay, according to a surgeon here. 

The Raindrop inlay is a hydrogel corneal inlay limited to investigational use in the U.S.

As an investigator in the ReVision Optics Raindrop Near Vision Inlay U.S. IDE Trial for emmetropes only, Jeffrey Whitman, MD, has implanted 82 eyes of 82 patients, with outcomes at 1 year available for 45 of those patients.

At 1 week, uncorrected near visual acuity in the inlay eye improved, and continued to improve, with 93% of patients seeing 20/20 or better at the 12-month follow-up.

Jeffrey Whitman

“These people really see well,” Whitman said at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting. “The presbyopic population is very thankful if you make them better.”

Uncorrected distance visual acuity in the inlay eye was 20/40 or better in 87% of patients at 1 week, improving to 20/25 or better in 82% of patients at 1 year, Whitman reported.

“It’s important to look at binocular vision, because this is how we use our eyes,” Whitman said.

At 12 months, 80% of patients were 20/20 at all distances and 100% were 20/25 or better, he said.

Furthermore, there is low incidence of unwanted phenomena, such as glare, halos and dry eye; patients can function in low light conditions; and the inlay can be removed without any ill effects – patients will return to preoperative values after explantation, according to Whitman.

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