40 Years of Ophtec

Our story begins in the late 1970s when Dr. Worst visited a hospital in Taxila, Pakistan. He noticed that cataract patients were leaving the hospital without proper corrective glasses. Driven to help, he began implanting cataract lenses but realized that the existing models were impractical. He sought a better, faster, and simpler procedure. During a surgery, he made a fortuitous discovery - iris tissue trapped in the lens’s slots did not cause any issues. Inspired by this observation, he developed lens models that could be fixed to the iris, one of which featured two holes with slits on either side of a blank optic. This lens could be easily attached to the iris and functioned perfectly. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he refined the concept, giving birth to the Artisan lens. In 1983, Ophtec was founded with a strong ambition to create superior products compared to what was commonly available at that time and to support eye surgeons in every conceivable way to achieve their goals. The spirit and unwavering dedication of our founders continue to guide Ophtec to this day, resulting in 40 years of ingenious solutions... and we’re just getting started.

1983 Founding of Ophtec On October 24th
Ophtec was founded by Prof. Dr. Jan Worst and his wife Anneke Worst-Van Dam.

1986 First Implantation of Myopia Claw Lens
The lens was fixated on the iris, marking the first implantation where the natural lens remained in the eye. This lens is now known as the Artisan.

1994 Development of CTR
The Capsular Tension Ring (CTR) was developed to stabilize the capsular bag in the presence of weakened zonulas.

1996 Development of Foldable Lenses
Our engineers started working on reducing the incision size by creating foldable lenses. This was the birth chamber of our Artiflex IOLs.

2000 The New Generation Takes Over
Erik Jan Worst takes over the role of CEO from his mother. Ophtec remains a family business up to present day.

2004 FDA Approval of Artisan Myopia
The Artisan Myopia was the first Phakic intraocular lens that got approved by the NVA.

2006  Development of DualTec Injector
The DualTec is a unique injector where the surgeon can choose to push or twist the IOL in the patient’s eye.

2010 Development of Ringject
The CTR now has a pre-loaded inserter for enhanced convenience.

2013 Launch of Precizon Lenses
The beginning of a new range of premium cataract IOLs. The lens designs and optics stand out due to the use of patented CTF and TCT technologies.

2023 Artiplus in Clinical Trials
Our new presbyopia-correcting Phakic IOL is showing promising results in clinical trials, providing a new solution for a younger group of patients.