Johnson & Johnson Vision, a global leader in eye health and presbyopia-correcting IOLs, on 16 Sep 2019 announced the availability of TECNIS Synergy™ IOL for the treatment of cataracts for patients in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. TECNIS Synergy™ IOL creates a new standard in presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens (PC-IOL) technology, allowing patients to experience continuous high-contrast vision from far through near, even in low-light conditions. This announcement coincides with the 37^th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Paris, France, where Johnson & Johnson Vision is also presenting new clinical data on the TECNIS Synergy™ IOL.

Clinical data being presented demonstrates TECNIS Synergy™ IOL gives broad range of continuous vision and offers patients the freedom to focus within the range. TECNIS Synergy™ IOL is the latest and most advanced lens within the industry-leading portfolio of TECNIS^® presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness globally with more than 90% of people developing cataracts by age 65. Left untreated, cataracts cause vision to deteriorate over time. Despite numerous IOL options available for cataract surgery, until now, no single IOL has existed to meet the changing needs of patients looking to attain clear, continuous range of vision they want, day and night.

"As ophthalmic pioneers, we took on the challenge to develop an IOL that would give patients the clear, continuous range of vision they want, from far to near, day to night," said Tom Frinzi, Worldwide President, Surgical, Johnson & Johnson Vision. "Today, thanks to the ingenuity of our team of researchers and scientists, we stay true to our legacy of innovation with the introduction of TECNIS Synergy™ IOL, our most advanced IOL solution yet, which we believe will redefine the industry standard for IOL quality and performance."  

The Johnson & Johnson Vision R&D team disrupted the traditional IOL development approach – designing the optimal defocus curve for clinical performance, then developing the technology to deliver against it. The result – a revolutionary lens that: 

• Gives broad range of continuous vision covering from distance to 33 cm
• Eliminates the visual gapspresent in trifocal and other multifocal technology, offering patients the freedom to focus within the range
• Continues to deliver superior performance in low-light conditions
• Violet-filtering technology demonstrates reduction in halo intensityfor tasks like night driving, as demonstrated in clinical simulations 

"The TECNIS Synergy™ IOL is a game-changer," said Dr. Francesco Carones, MD, Medical Director and Physician CEO of Carones Vision, Milan, Italy. "I am delighted with the results my patients have had. With some lenses, patients can find it hard to focus on objects at certain points, but the continuous vision provided by TECNIS Synergy™ IOL smooths out those visual 'gaps.' Best of all, the lens continues to perform, even as light dwindles."

Dr. Frank Kerkhoff, MD PhD added "Patients I have fitted with the TECNIS Synergy™ IOL are able to read in low and dim-light conditions. This is a fantastic benefit that I have not seen before with other PC-IOLs."

Dr. Con Moshegov, George St Eye Clinic, Sydney, Australia noted another important benefit from his initial experience with the lens, "With the TECNIS Synergy^TM IOL, seeing computer screens, dashboards, sheets of music and people's faces across a small table is easy."  

TECNIS Synergy™ IOL has European CE Mark and is now commercially available across Europe, including UK, Italy, France, Spain and Germany. It is also available in Australia and New Zealand. This product is not currently approved or commercially available in other countries. TECNIS Synergy™ IOL combines proprietary technology from the TECNIS^® Family of IOLs platform, known across the industry for high-quality optics. The launch of TECNIS Synergy™ IOL is Johnson & Johnson Vision's second cataract innovation, following the launch of TECNIS Eyhance™ IOL, in Europe and Asia Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong) earlier this year.