New Materials

At the 1992 meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Paris, Ernest Ford of Rayner was awarded the presitigious Kiewiet De Jong Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the advancement of IOL design. Ernest’s innovative work was of the highest standard and he was proud to continue and develop the tradition of close co-operation with ophthalmologists commenced by John Pike. He was well known for his sociable and convivial manner and was counted a close friend by many international surgeons. Ernest died in October 1994, and is fondly remembered by many.

The nineties witnessed a period of growth followed by rapid change and consolidation in the IOL industry. Despite these changes, Rayner under the guidance of Jim Hobson as Chairman and Ian Collins as Managing Director, remained a staunchly independent company while all around it competitor IOL-manufacturers in France, Germany and the USA were swallowed up to become mere divisions or brands within multinational corporations. Rayner weathered the storm and progressed to meet the challenges of the market conditions produced by government regulations and trends in surgical technique.

In 1993, The Council of The European Communities passed into law the Medical Devices Directive, which required companies manufacturing IOLs to meet new, more stringent quality standards in order to carry the CE quality assurance mark. All Rayner products carry the CE mark.

Rayner confirmed its commitment to international development with the formation in 1993 of Rayner Deutschland, now since 2004 the Rayner Surgical Gmbh company, under the leadership of Volker Engelbrecht.

The increasing popularity of small incision surgery in recent years has prompted the development of new materials for intraocular lenses with properties that allow the lens to be folded by the surgeons or be injected into the eye. Rayner introduced the Rayflex silicone foldable lens in 1997 and in the following year the company’s first hydrophilic acrylic lens, the Raysoft®, was introduced. The proprietary Centerflex® (570H) design, an inventive Rayner lens featuring the unique Anti-Vaulting-Haptic technology, was launched in 1999.

During the same period, the company also introduced its own viscoelastic solution, Rayvisc, a range of Titanium surgical instruments and the Raysharp range of disposable ophthalmic knives.