As part of its work to increase improvements made available to patients, the Hospiten Group, through Hospiten Rambla University Hospital, has incorporated the latest PentacamÒ device, the 'AXL Wave', intended for use in refractive cataract surgery.
The analyzer includes a new feature, a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor to analyze the total aberrations of the eye without the need for actual physical contact, as well as retroillumination and postoperative control of the position and inclination of the intraocular lens (IOL).
Dr. Maria Angeles Martinez Piñero, coordinator of the Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery Service of the Hospiten Rambla University Hospital, points out that the Tenerife center is the only hospital in the Canary Islands equipped with the latest model of this technological system. She also explains that the device is currently the best anterior chamber parameter analyzer and the best in calculating IOL lens placement.
“Wavefront analysis analyzes all the high and low order aberrations, while objective refraction is done both preoperatively and postoperatively, which translates into clearer information when explaining to the patient what visual outcome they may expect after surgery”, explains Dr. Martinez.
The Canary Islands are among the autonomous regions in Spain with the highest percentage of patients suffering from cataracts due to the high levels of ultraviolet radiation throughout the year. 15% of those over 65 years of age in the Archipelago suffer from this pathology and from the age of 75 on, it affects 50% of the population. For that reason, Dr. Martinez stresses the importance of incorporating this camera into the hospital.
Likewise, she points out the risk of not using sunglasses that provide protection from ultraviolet rays. The Hospiten specialist uses the case of Lanzarote as an example, saying that “in Lanzarote there are people who are undergoing surgery at the age of 50, when cataracts are more common at older ages”.