Until 2 years ago, Anthony was a self-employed painter who worked in home construction; however, he began developing cataracts and was diagnosed as legally blind. In a relatively short time, Anthony found himself without a job because of his advancing blindness. When he and his wife lost their home, Anthony was forced to move into a homeless shelter while his wife moved in with relatives. Without private insurance, he had no prospects of regaining his sight.

Thanks to James P. Gills, MD, of Florida, and a philanthropy effort by the manufacturers of the Eyeonics Crystalens (Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, New York), Anthony's circumstances improved. He was one of 100 low-income patients chosen to undergo cataract surgery and premium IOL implantation to restore vision.

Surgeries were part of the Changing 100 Lives in 100 Minutes campaign, for which Bausch & Lomb donated 100 Crystalens accommodating IOLs toward a national effort in the United States. Additionally, 100 participating ophthalmologists, including Dr. Gills, the founder of St. Luke's Cataract & Laser Institute, in Tarpon Springs, Florida, performed IOL implantation for these select patients at no charge. Dr. Gills said he was thrilled to implant the company's 100,000th Crystalens for a worthy cause.

"This is what makes life worthwhile," he told CRST Europe. "[Anthony] couldn't see to walk down the street, but he wanted to go back to work. After the surgery, he was completely ecstatic. As soon as he could get up off of the table he gave me a huge hug."

Dr. Gills was the first ophthalmologist in the United States to dedicate his practice to the treatment of cataracts with IOLs. Anthony's surgery was Dr. Gills' 1,000th Crystalens Five-0 implantation. Although Dr. Gills was less than enthusiastic about the original Crystalens because of its poor predictability and the potential for z-syndrome, he claims the new lens has "great benefits."

"You do not have the blur that you might experience with a multifocal IOL," he said. "Although these lenses do not give the exact desired refraction in about 5% to 10% of cases, and sometimes the accommodative effect is not as much as you would like it to be, they don't have a really bad side."

The benefit of using an accommodating IOL is the clarity of vision it provides to patients. According to Dr. Gills, approximately one in five of his patients chooses to receive the Crystalens.

"We do not push the [accommodating] lens like some people do with multifocals, but we will use them for patients who spend a majority of their day in front of a computer. Or for people who want good near and intermediate vision."

Dr. Gills says he also mixes and matches lenses. In approximately one-third of his patients, he implants the Crystalens in the patient's nondominent eye for near vision and a Tecnis lens (Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., Santa Ana, California) targeted for distance vision in the dominant eye.

"The Crystalens has seen a huge change for patients in the way of its function," he said. "I think that the Crystalens Five-0 is currently one of the most exciting things available in ophthalmology."

James P. Gills, MD, is the Founder and Director of St. Luke's Cataract and Laser Institute, Tarpon Springs, Florida. Dr. Gills states that he has no financial interest in the companies or products mentioned. He may be reached at +1 727 938 2020; jgills@stlukeseye.com.