Rayner has an unparalleled history of manufacturing bespoke intraocular lenses. The first acrylic implants Rayner made in the 1940s and 1950s were truly customized lenses. Fifty to sixty years ago, IOL implantation was quite a rare event. In Rayner’s archives we conserve telexes, typed and hand-written orders sent to us by the pioneering ophthalmic surgeons: Sir Harold Ridley, Edward Epstein, Benedetto Strampelli, Peter Choyce and Cornelius Binkhorst. In their correspondence the surgeons supplied Rayner with clinical details and the optical measurements of a patient they had selected for IOL implantation. The lenses were hand-made and dispatched to the surgeon by the Royal Mail postal service, with the patient’s name labelled on the outside of the lens pack.
In the 21st Century millions of IOLs are implanted each year.
Most patients today have their sight restored with Rayner lenses which are mass produced to very high standards of quality and detail. But some patients have bespoke requirements and although we no longer make them by hand and though today’s regulations on patient data protection may prevent us from labelling with the patient’s name, nevertheless the tradition of bespoke lens manufacture remains very much a live tradition in the Rayner company.
Ophthalmic surgeons should contact Rayner to ask about Rayner’s Customized IOLs (either by email to iol_enquiries@rayner.com or call your local Rayner representative).
Rayner Customer Services supply a special order form for Toric and Customized lens manufacture.
Manufacturing times and delivery varies according to the nature of the request. In some countries (including the USA) this programme is not currently available. To find out the availability of this programme please write by email to iol_enquiries@rayner.com or call your local Rayner representative.
