- The Pentacam® AXL Wave from OCULUS has received clearance from the FDA.
- It promises to offer considerable advantages to clinicians, especially regarding IOLs.
This is probably not going to come as much of a surprise to you, but at Media MICE, we really like gadgets. Quite a few of the guys on the team had an interest in all things gadget and hi-tech when they were younger, and that passion has carried on into adulthood. In fact, your correspondent can testify to this first hand, after being dragged around Berlin visiting tech shops during a business trip.
When in Berlin right, and why not? Gadgets are cool, so when we heard about new tech that was coming out from OCULUS we got really excited — and me even more so, as this is a German company, so it absolutely suited the lede into this story. This brand spanking new tool heralds a great leap forward in ophthalmology — and one that looks set to offer tremendous advantages to clinicians and patients alike.
This is the Pentacam® AXL Wave (OCULUS Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany), which has received the 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Rock on. It is sleek, stylish and looks smart enough, too.
Imagine a Kid in the ‘80s Wearing the Pentacam
OCULUS describes the Pentacam as a significant development for ophthalmology. It received its name Pentacam for its ability to offer five key points: wavefront aberrometry of the eye; objective refraction; retro-illumination; optical biometry, and Scheimpflug-based tomography. It’s designed to offer the user a single intuitive scanning process, comprehensive screening for disease and abnormalities, and optical corneal and lens evaluation.
“The Pentacam® AXL Wave is the latest and most versatile member of the Pentacam® family, incorporating intuitive reports based on clinical studies, with guaranteed network compatibility and full operability of all Pentacam® software and examinations,” said OCULUS spokeswoman Judith König.
“The established functions of anterior segment tomography and optical biometry have been complemented by retro illumination and a Hartmann-Shack sensor for total eye wavefront and objective refraction. A new examination routine guides the user through the imaging process, and the measuring process is straightforward, user-independent, fast and patient-friendly,” she said.
König said this combination of intuitive design and maximized patient comfort means that the entire screening process for both eyes can take less than five minutes. There is also an attractive postoperative aspect to the device, as it can provide intraocular lens (IOL) selection and centration, objective refraction and quality assessment, and improvement overall. The support for IOLs, in particular, is likely to prove popular with clinicians as it’s fairly comprehensive.
IOLs Are Pretty Cool When You Think About It
According to its creators, the Pentacam® AXL Wave comes with a comprehensive, clearly arranged overview display showing all parameters for corneal screening, IOL power selection, IOL power calculation, and implantable collamer lens selection and calculation. This will make working with patients requiring IOLs simpler, and ensures that the patient’s optimal comfort is safeguarded. As the device has “internet of things” properties (meaning it’s a physical object connected to the internet), it can search for the right IOL for the right patient via clinics and other resources.
“The standard software package with the IOL calculator and its built-in IOL database provide verification of findings in numerous clinical applications such as corneal refractive surgery, lens refractive surgery, presbyopia solutions and standard cataract surgery,” Ms. König said.
To learn more, visit www.pentacam.com/axl-wave.
