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Biotech / Medical : SNRS- Sunrise Technologies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pappy who wrote (598)	4/4/1998 11:32:00 AM
From: E	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4140

I have no technical background at all, so probably I just missed it; but I still don't see how the Novatec machine addresses the hyperopia problem. Its promise is simply to be a good ablation process, like Summit's isn't it? I didn't understand also why a patient's cornea height position is irrelevant to the process. But I don't know what a Collimated Beam is. (Would you mind taking a minute to explain that? It would be appreciated.) Your knowledge of this company is impressive, and I would assume that having done all that DD, you plan to be part of the IPO when the opportunity arises; but I'm reassured to hear that as of yet, you aren't invested in Novatec or short visx or beam. When you say that you "would suspect that there is an updated model evolving that may incorporate software as a standard in order to perform hyperopia and other current indications," does that mean that the current model doesn't correct hyperopia, snrs's specialty?

To: pappy who wrote (598)	4/4/1998 1:51:00 PM
From: EmuGreg	Respond to of 4140

Pappy, your knowledge of Novatec is impressive. You have a done a fine job doing your DD. However, it wasn't clear to me in your response to question #1 as to how the Novatec ablative laser will lengthen the eye to change the focal point required for hyperopia. The excimer lasers have been used to create a trough around the cornea to achieve this result, but my understanding is that: 1) it takes incredible skill to do and 2) there is typically a scarring response in the trough that is difficult to deal with. How Novatec achieves the lengthening of the eye is very important if a comparison of that laser to SNRS's is to be meaningful. Everything you've described indicates that Novatec, being solid-state technology, will be a better laser than the current excimer lasers. As a layman, I believe you are right. The gas based lasers certainly do have their challenges and require incredible amounts of maintenance. Are you aware that the SNRS laser is also solid-state? Also, are you aware that the SNRS laser is not an ablative laser, but has a totally different objective? People periodically come on this thread and talk about Visx/BEAM taking SNRS out (or vice versa) through competition. They assume that they will all be in the same market when the reality is otherwise. I don't believe any of the opthamologists that are looking forward to using the SNRS laser view it really as an alternative to ablative lasers, but rather as an additional tool. Do you know whether Novatec will be represented at the ASCRS convention in San Diego this month? Will there be any papers presented in San Diego on it? Have there been any papers presented on it in the past? Will Novatec be at any of the other conventions scheduled for 1998? Can you direct us to any journal articles on the Novatec procedure? Do you have the list of opthamologists that supporting the Novatec laser? Are they industry leaders and innovators? Can you share the list with us? Have you observed the Novatec procedure? Is it done in a non-sterile environment? One of the things that impressed me when I observed the SNRS procedure is that the patients can have it done in their tennis togs on the way to the court. The fact that the patient is not horizontal but simply sitting at what appears to be an ordinary slit lamp certainly takes away a lot of the fear of having "surgery." My wife is dying to have the procedure done, especially as there is virtually no significant sensation during the procedure. One of the patients I saw treated had just come from the restaurant that he owned and drove himself off with the bank bag to make the daily deposit. Based on what I saw, I would suspect that patients will be coming in on their lunch hour to have LTK done and then going back to the office, sans glasses. The effect is immediate and recovery time seems to be about 5, as I recall. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight. Perhaps there are some professionals out there that can better address some of the great issues that Pappy has raised? Gotta go feed the livestock. Best regards. Greg