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Biotech / Medical : VISX -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Phil who wrote (1276)	8/15/1999 10:29:00 PM
From: Carmine Cammarosano	Respond to of 1754

Phil, I use the VISX laser and it does a great job...there are other lasers, but the lastest VISX laser is very good...the company will continue to earn good money...

To: Phil who wrote (1276)	8/16/1999 5:44:00 PM
From: Robert G. Harrell	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1754

Phil, I know you didn't post this abstract to advance the fortunes of VISX but rather in an undisclosed backhanded way to further your pet stock Keravision. Since others who don't know your bias may read this post, it is important that several facts be made known. First, these studies were done in 1995,1996 and early '97 in GERMANY. VISX doesn't have lasers in Germany. These studies were done with lasers from one or more of VISX three European competitors. Second, the ablation zone in the early days of laser vision surgery was much smaller than that used today because of the kinds of problems you keep bringing up. Techniques and technology advance. VISX is on its 4th generation of lasers. The VISX laser used in Europe was a 2020B which was, according to a company official I talked to, never sold in the US. Third, the Keravision procedure also has problems. From an article found in references on YOUR site: Possible temporary side effects include light sensitivity, decreased clarity in dim light, glare or haloes from lights at night, blurry or double vision and fluctuating distance vision. These side effects generally disappear as the eye heals. Possible Complications Infection (less than 1%) Infection of the cornea is rare, but possible. When it does occur, it is treated immediately with medications and no adverse effects usually result. Ring Segment Displacement (less than 1%) Occasionally the ring segment is difficult to position properly. If the ring segment is not ideally positioned, it is removed. It may be replaced at a later date or an alternative procedure performed. gimbel.com People who would like to read Visix research data can find Visix white papers at the following URL. Click on white papers on the bar across the top. After you select the paper you want, you have to click on the pdf download to get the complete paper. visx.com One final point that the company official made; Visix chose to ask patients about side effects and include the results in their labeling application. It was not required and Summit did not include such data in their application. When I looked at the data it seemed to be completely subjective. The patient was asked about their own perception of their night vision after surgery. No objective test was administered. There was a wide age range in the patients included in the studies. Since night vision blurring increases with age, I would bet that had they chosen to look for it, the reports of reduced night vision would have correlated highly with increasing age. I would further suggest that the reduction in night vision may already have been present before the surgery but the patients had not given any thought to it until asked about it after the surgery. "Well, now that you mention it, my night vision isn't as good as it used to be." [In scientific terms, a meaningless observation because there is no established base line.] I'm surprised that Visix chose to include such meaningless data in their application. Perhaps they viewed it as CYA for possible lawsuits from the inevitable unhappy customers. Bob