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Boris Malyugin

Designed by Boris Malyugin MD (Cataract and Implant Surgery Department chief, deputy director (R&D, Edu) at the S.Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex, Moscow), the Malyugin Ring has several advantages over traditional iris retractor hooks and other pupil dilating devices.

With love of research, from Russia Boris Malyugin, M.D., Ph.D., chief, cataract and implant surgery department, and deputy director general, S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex State Institution, Moscow, is from a medical family, and there was really no choice for him other than to become a doctor. But from this monotonous family history, Dr. Malyugin, an IIIC member, became a Russian ophthalmic innovator-something that he explains is not exceedingly unique among Russians. "Russian companies are very good at producing, but not many are very good in marketing," Dr. Malyugin said. "We are good at designing, but in sales we have to collaborate with other companies that are good at this." Dr. Malyugin is a case in point. The Malyugin Ring (MicroSurgical Technology, MST, Redmond, Wash.) is Dr. Malyugin's invention. "The idea for this product came from complications," Dr. Malyugin said. "Not complications like floppy iris, but from the lens." A locally manufactured lens was causing problems at the time, but it gave Dr. Malyugin an idea. "In Russia for a long time we used one lens manufactured locally," Dr. Malyugin said. "It had two haptical elements in the form of loops-loops that look very similar to loops in the corners of the Malyugin Ring today. [Back then] I occasionally caught the iris or capsule with this [IOL] loop. It was an unwanted situation. After that, the idea came to me to create a good thing from this problem-to use this method to stretch the iris."

The Malyugin Ring was born to catch and retain the pupillary margin-something that became particularly useful later in the era of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS). Dr. Malyugin calls the product "innovation from Russia," which had some help from MST, a company focused on marketing innovation and quality, he said. This type of story repeats itself often in Russia. In the 1980s, a locally manufactured Russian lens was tinted yellow, Dr. Malyugin said. "It was the first yellow-tinted lens in the world," Dr. Malyugin said. "It was sold in ex-Soviet Union republics and was a popular lens. Ten years later, Alcon [Fort Worth, Texas] came up with the AcrySof Natural, which was the first yellow-tinted flexible IOL."

It makes you wonder-what might be coming out of Russia next? "We are now working on a project involving a very interesting multifocal lens," Dr. Malyugin said. "Splitting the light that comes through the lens won't be because of the surface of the lens, but because of the inner structure of the lens, which is very much like the natural lens of the human eye. We are trying to achieve one of the natural physiological mechanisms of accommodation by making this type of lens." Dr. Malyugin is proud to be a Russian ophthalmologist and member of the IIIC. "This is a very prestigious association of implant surgeons," Dr. Malyugin said. "It has a great history."