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SANTA ANA, CA -- MSC.Software Corporation (NYSE:MNS), an established information technology software and services provider helping companies worldwide develop better products faster, today announced that MSC.Nastran and MSC.Patran were used in the development of the Sarfarazi Innovative Elliptical Accommodative Intraocular Lens (EAIOL). The Sarfarazi EAIOL will provide patients with a reversible vision-correction alternative to laser surgery by inserting a small lens into the eye that connects to existing ocular fibers and muscles. By using MSC.Software's simulation applications, the complex surgical dynamics of the Sarfarazi EAIOL were tested and perfected before prototypes were made available for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing and approval, providing a 50 percent reduction in development time and manufacturing costs. "While most laser eye surgery is permanent and usually limited to adults, the Sarfarazi EAIOL system can benefit patients of all ages, while also presenting them with the option of reversing the surgery if needed," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "At MSC.Software, we are proud that our professional services team works with researchers and companies to decrease development time and costs while improving the quality of life for millions of people." MSC.Software's professional services team utilized MSC.Nastran and MSC.Patran to simulate the contraction and relaxation of the muscles and fibers in the eye, which are responsible for changing focal distance. Natural focusing occurs when the fibers attaching the muscles around the natural lens pull on the lens, changing its shape and focal distance. After inserting the Sarfarazi EAIOL into a patient's eye, focusing occurs in much the same way as natural focusing, with muscles pulling and releasing and the range of vision changing by varying the distance between the existing lens and the newly inserted lens. The surgery itself lasts only 20 minutes and, if for any reason the lens needs to be removed, the Sarfarazi EAIOL lens is designed so it can be taken out without any damage to the eye. "Simulation helped us refine the design concept, decide on the best material and prove that the concept works," said Dr. F. Mona Sarfarazi, FICS of Shenasa Medical, LLC. "Because of design changes made as a result of simulation, manufacturing is made much easier. By making the lens with a mold, eliminating manual intervention, the EAIOL comes out of the mold finished as a complete unit. The simulation provided by MSC.Software professional services has impacted our design, testing and manufacturing, as well as reduced costs and time-to-market." According to the FDA, an estimated 2.3 million eyes will have laser surgery in 2001, at an estimated cost of between $450 and $3,000 per eye. The Sarfarazi EAIOL is expected to go into FDA testing later this year and is expected to be on the market in 2003-2004 timeframe. For more information visit www.mscsoftware.com