The outlook for intraocular lenses through 1990

Extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation has become the most successful intraocular procedure ever practiced. The number of cataract extractions and intraocular lenses implanted have increased enormously over the past decade. One might ask if a saturation point is near. The progress of cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation is reviewed from 1973 to 1983 and an attempt to predict their volume to 1990 is made. Significant research and development factors and their impact on the domestic and foreign markets are presented. Because of these and demographic factors, it is concluded that we are not nearing the saturation point in cataract surgery or the intraocular lens industry.