"The digital era continues to grow at a rapid pace. Ophthalmologists are increasingly realizing the significant benefits of using digital workflows as the backbone of their medical practices," says Magnus Reibenspiess, Head of Strategic Business Unit Ophthalmology at ZEISS Medical Technology. "ZEISS has much to celebrate at ASCRS this year, including our continued U.S. leadership in digital innovation and ongoing commitment to improving patient care across both the cataract and refractive markets."

Additionally, the ZEISS Refractive Workflow will showcase for the first time both the VISUMAX^® 800 with SMILE^® pro from ZEISS and the MEL^® 90 from ZEISS, helping to further broaden a surgeon's refractive business with improved patient attraction and positive clinical outcomes. Lastly, for the first time, DORC and FCI, both ZEISS companies, are set to present their portfolio of cataract surgical solutions in the ZEISS booth, showcasing the extended benefits of ZEISS's surgical portfolio.

More than 2 million cases planned using ZEISS VERACITY Surgery Planner reflects growing digital adoption by U.S. cataract surgeons

ZEISS VERACITY Surgery Planner is one of the top digital planning solutions for cataract surgery in the U.S. today with thousands of users logging in to plan their surgical cases, pulling data from most modern EMRs, 19 different diagnostic devices, and optional data sources like patient questionnaires, in order to make data-driven informed decisions designed to drive better patient outcomes in clinics and ORs.

At ASCRS, ZEISS will celebrate the significant milestone of its cloud-based ZEISS VERACITY Surgery Planner, with more than 2 million cases planned. A recent study showed that with the ZEISS Cataract Workflow powered by ZEISS VERACITY Surgery Planner, surgeons and staff can save up to 60% of their time per eye compared to traditional paper planning.

Kerry Solomon, MD, from Carolina Eye Care Physicians, one of the creators of VERACITY prior to its acquisition by ZEISS in 2017, says, "Today we're up to 2 million plans, unbelievable! When we first started developing this solution, I absolutely envisioned we'd get to where we are today, and I'm thrilled with where we're at!"

In addition to proven efficiency gains, new research abstracts presented at this year's ASCRS showcase excellent refractive accuracy and clinical outcomes when adopting the ZEISS Cataract Workflow:

1. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, ABO, will present a clear benefit of reducing postoperative astigmatism by implanting toric IOLs in patients with lower preoperative corneal astigmatism, leveraging cataract outcomes obtained from VERACITY Surgery Planner's database of 50,850 eyes with preoperative corneal astigmatism between 0.75D and 1.50D.
2. Luke Rebenitsch, MD, ABO, will present a comparison of refractive outcomes in a large cohort of 49,057 eyes undergoing cataract surgery with toric IOL implantation where the use of the ZEISS CALLISTO eye system resulted in significant improvements in terms of post-op refractive outcomes compared to a manual marking approach.
3. Kamran M. Riaz, MD, ABO, will present an analysis of the refractive accuracy of two biometers in a cohort of 222 eyes with prior laser vision correction and implantation of toric multifocal IOLs, highlighting the significantly better performance of total keratometry with the IOLMaster 700.

Enhanced refractive treatment portfolio enables a higher standard of refractive patient care with both the ZEISS VISUMAX 800 and ZEISS MEL 90

ZEISS continues to set high standards in refractive patient care in the U.S. with the availability of both the ZEISS VISUMAX 800 and ZEISS MEL 90. For the first time, the ZEISS MEL 90 will be showcased in the U.S. at ASCRS, extending ZEISS's LVC market leadership with treatment for myopia, hyperopia, and mixed astigmatism.

"The FDA approval of the ZEISS MEL 90 excimer laser is a game changer for refractive surgery in the U.S. I am particularly impressed by the system's ability to simplify treatment planning while delivering highly predictable and tissue-conserving results. This approval marks an exciting chapter for surgeons and patients alike," says Dr. John Doane, Refractive Surgeon, Discover Vision Centers, Kansas City, MO (USA).

The MEL^® 90 from ZEISS aims to offer U.S. surgeons a fast, reliable, and streamlined surgery experience, complementing the VISUMAX^® 800 with SMILE^® pro from ZEISS to help further broaden a surgeon's refractive business with improved patient attraction and positive clinical outcomes.

The ZEISS VISUMAX 800 with ZEISS SMILE pro software enables faster treatment, creating the lenticule in less than 10 seconds thanks to a faster laser pulse repetition rate of 2 MHz. The ZEISS femtosecond laser also provides greater flexibility for the surgeon and patient, with a smaller footprint and compatibility with a variety of patient beds, adapting to the clinical environment to provide cutting-edge technology without compromise.

Showcasing the benefits of ZEISS's surgical portfolio to help meet the evolving clinical challenges of surgeons in the U.S.

ZEISS will showcase for the first time together in the ZEISS booth key solutions from DORC and FCI.  This will feature the DORC EVA NEXUS^™ surgical system for cataract and phaco-vitrectomy surgeries. It will also include the DORC VisionBlue^® anterior stain, a trusted choice in more than 10 million cataract surgeries since its introduction. As the only FDA-approved trypan blue stain for anterior applications, it is also authorized for staining Descemet's membrane and trabecular meshwork.  Additionally, the ZEISS booth will feature the FDA-approved Eyejet^® 20C from Morcher^®, built on the gold standard preloaded Eyejet^® system and designed to prevent toric IOLs rotation, providing maximum toric benefits.

ZEISS will showcase its latest offerings and new innovations at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) conference from April 25-27, 2025, in Los Angeles, CA, at booth #1501.