An artificial iris may help reduce glare and light sensitivity in people who are missing some, or all of the iris, which is the colored part of the eye. 

Boy Gets Artificial Iris by Mary McDermott. _____Read More

  Dr. Francis W. Price, Jr. is medical monitor for an FDA clinical trial evaluating use of the Ophtec artificial iris* in patients.  He implanted an Ophtec artificial iris in first study patient in 2002 and has been the surgeon who has consistently performed the most implants in the study. * Artificial Iris Implant is manufactured by Ophtec USA.

:. One normal eye, one with an artificial iris.

The Artificial Iris Implant is made of PMMA, the most common type of plastic used to make contact lenses and artificial intraocular lenses to replace the natural lens. Until now, this plastic has been primarily used in cataract surgeries. The artificial iris comes in blue, green and brown. This new iris can block excess light from entering the eye so patients are not as easily incapacitated by glare and light sensitivity as they were before when they did not have a complete iris.

BEFORE

AFTER

People who are most likely to benefit from this type of procedure are those with a missing iris, or an iris defect, or people whose iris has endured trauma. To date, most patients have been over the age of 21.  However, as Dr. Price recently pointed out, "The artificial iris can also benefit children who are born without an iris or who lose the iris in an accident.  It can help improve their vision and restore a more normal appearance. Enrollment in the study has been completed, but patients may still receive an artificial iris through a compassionate use exemption from the FDA.

*Artificial Iris Implant is manufactured by Ophtec USA.

Amazing new development with Trischa Hudson!

Learn more about Trischa's new life and new vision.

"BOY GETS ARTIFICIAL IRIS"
by: Mary McDermott

(Indianapolis-February 1, 2005) - A five-year-old New York boy has come to Indianapolis for a chance to dramatically improve his vision.

Michael Cruz was born with troubled eyes. He does not have any irises - the part that would usually be blue, brown, green or hazel. The iris controls the amount of light that enters the eye. It is a ring-shaped tissue with a central opening, which is called the pupil.

In a normal eye, the pupil will constrict in bright light and dilate in dimmer light. For Michael, light in an ordinary room is too bright to see clearly because his eyes can’t filter it.

"Kind of like coming out of a movie matinee in the bright sun -- you know how just devastating it is -- you can't keep your eyes open, you can't lift your head up. And that's the way these people are all the time from the time they're born. So Michael doesn't even realize what it's like not to be that way,” said Dr. Francis Price, eye specialist.

Soon, though, Michael should see the world with new eyes. An operation he had at St. Vincent Hospital Tuesday morning gave him an artificial iris. He's only the third child in the country to get such an implant.

"The artificial iris has a clear central area that's visual, and an outer area that's nine millimeters in diameter that's opaque. It comes in blue, green, or brown, and his family chose brown for him,” said Dr. Price.

It was all part of a clinical trial involving 112 people who received artificial irises. Dr. Price has performed nearly half of those procedures. He expects Michael to heal quickly and he hopes the implants eventually get federal approval for wider use.

"I think it's a tremendous asset for these people who have these conditions. It's just phenomenal. Now, not everybody has a dramatic response but most of the people have a really dramatic improvement,” said Dr. Price.

Michael received one artificial iris Tuesday. He is scheduled to get the other one in a few months.

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