Today's news release;
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND POLAROID TO PARTICIPATE IN
FEDERALLY FUNDED STUDY OF EYE EXAMS FOR CHILDREN
Lancaster, PA ...February 3, 1997... Medical Technology & Innovations, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MTEN) announced today that the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health has approved and funded a $50,000 grant for the planning phase of a multi-year clinical study by the Preschool Children's Vision Screening Study Group to develop an effective and efficient screening process to identify children at high risk for significant vision disorders.
As participants in the study's first step, Medical Technology and its marketing partner Polaroid will provide MTI PhotoScreenerstm and instant film for a preliminary feasibility study to be conducted in October 1997 in Philadelphia, in which several hundred children will be tested for eye disorders using various commercial vision-screening devices.
Dr. Paulette P. Schmidt, co-chair of the Study Group and principal investigator of the study, pointed out that vision disorders are the fourth most common disability in the United States and the most prevalent handicapping conditions in childhood. The NEI approved the grant after being convinced that the prevalence of significant, non-obvious vision problems in preschool children poses a serious public health concern.
"Preschool children do not know how they should see," Dr. Schmidt explained. "Many do not have the verbal skills to tell us that they cannot see. And, most vision problems are not painful! Yet, it is during this developmental period of life that vision is particularly sensitive to problems."
One such problem is amblyopia, which is responsible for vision loss in more people under 45 than all other eye diseases and trauma combined -- but is treatable if caught in early childhood. Unfortunately, amblyopia often goes undetected because many preschool children either do not have their vision screened, or are screened using methods of dubious effectiveness.
"A growing number of local, state and federal agencies already mandate vision screening of preschool children, frequently advocating the participation of lay screeners. We know that such efforts will be only half-measures if they are not coupled with a screening procedure proven to be highly accurate as well as cost-effective. So we fully support the Study Group's objectives and we are confident that our unique MTI PhotoScreenertm will prove to be the ideal vision-screening device," said Medical Technology CEO Jeremy P. Feakins.
In addition to Dr. Schmidt, the other members of the Preschool Children's Vision Screening Study Group are: Dale Allen (University of Houston, College of Optometry); Elise Ciner, O.D. (Pennsylvania College of Optometry); Lynn Cyert, Ph.D., O.D. (Northeastern State university, College of Optometry); Velma Dobson, Ph.D. (University of Arizona, Department of Ophthalmology); Maureen Maquire, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania, Scheie Eye Institute); Bruce Moore, O.D. (Children's Hospital - Boston); Deborah Orel-Bixler, Ph.D., O.D. (University of California Berkeley, School of Optometry); and Janet Schultz, C.N.P.N. (Philadelphia Preschool Head Start).
Medical Technology & Innovations, Inc. is the parent company of Medical Technology, Inc., which manufactures and distributes the MTI PhotoScreenertm, an FDA cleared instant film camera designed to detect conditions that can lead to amblyopia ("lazy-eye") and other eye disorders in infants and young children. Its Steridyne division, acquired in August 1996, manufactures digital and glass thermometers, wound management and other medical products for doctors, hospitals and nursing homes.
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Note: Any forward-looking statements in this press release are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties which may affect the accuracy of such statements. For a full discussion of such generic and specific risks, please refer to the company's Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1996 and subsequent filings. |
