Johnson & Johnson Vision, a global eye health company, said it launched new intraocular lens for cataract surgery and laser vision correction equipment in Korea.

The company held a press conference in southern Seoul on Thursday to celebrate the release of the TECNIS PureSee IOL for cataract surgery and the ELITA Femtosecond Laser System for corneal refractive laser vision correction.

Currently, the standard of care for cataract surgery is to remove the cloudy lens and insert an intraocular lens.

While mono-focal intraocular lenses provide noticeable improvement in distance vision and less postoperative light flare, showing the disadvantage of decreased near vision and the need to wear magnifying glasses after surgery.

Multi-focal intraocular lenses, on the other hand, have the advantage of improving both distance and near vision but have the disadvantage of causing discomfort such as halos and glare than mono-focal lenses.

TECNIS PureSee is a multi-focal intraocular lens that improves both distance and near vision, allowing cataract patients to enjoy everyday activities such as cooking, driving, and watching TV without the need for reading glasses.

ELITA is Johnson & Johnson Vision's first new corneal refractive laser vision correction device in 22 years.

Corneal refractive laser vision correction is a surgery that corrects refractive errors such as myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia. Representative surgical methods include LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis) and LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis).

Currently, LASEK, which uses laser irradiation from the epithelial layer of the cornea to the parenchyma layer to correct vision, is resistant to external impacts but has the disadvantage of long recovery time and severe postoperative pain.

In addition, LASIK is a surgical procedure that creates a flap in the epithelial layer of the cornea, irradiates the parenchyma layer with a laser, and then closes the flap, resulting in a faster recovery, but it is vulnerable to external shocks and can cause dry eyes.

SILK (Smooth Incision Lenticular Keratomileusis), the next generation of corneal refractive laser vision correction using ELITA, is a surgical method that directly irradiates the parenchyma layer with a laser without making a flap that causes damage to the corneal epithelium.

ELITA's small laser diameter and low laser intensity range reduce corneal tissue damage. SILK has a fast flap creation time, excellent vision correction the day after surgery, enabling a quick return to normal activities, and a low incidence of dry eye.

"Korea is an important market for Johnson & Johnson Vision, as it has higher levels of eye care compared to other Asian countries," said Christoph Vonwiller, President of Johnson & Johnson Vision Asia-Pacific. "We look forward to the successful introduction of TECNIS PureSee and ELITA into the Korean market and hope that the results seen in Korea benefit patients and healthcare providers around the world."