According to "BEYOND GLASSES" by Franette Armstrong, it appears HH (hyperopic holmium) treatments may have only limited effectiveness. Beyond +1.5 to +1.75 diopters of hyperopia, it appears excimer lasers will be the only effective treatment, at least for a while.
By the time SNRS gets FDA approval to sell in U.S., maybe in late 1999, or in 2000, VISX, Summit, Autonomous, Nidek, and other excimer laser manufacturers will have U.S. approval to do most degrees of hyperopia, along with myopia and astigmatism.
So, don't get too carried away with the promise of big money. That's what people did with VISX and Summit years ago, and then reality struck.
But Nanny made some good points about the price advantages, and cost containment threat posed by managed care. I hope SNRS can perfect their tech for higher levels of hyperopia. I also hope LASIK dies, as soon as "no-touch" PRK is available in U.S., maybe in a few years. |
