For folks with far-sightedness.
Pioneering ''Ring'' product is a non-laser alternative to glasses and
contacts
First Treatment where the Effect can be Reversed
TORONTO, Oct. 21 /CNW/ - Nearsighted Canadians now have a new non-laser
option to correct their vision - the KeraVision Ring. The KeraVision Ring is
an alternative to glasses, contact lenses and other surgical vision correction
treatments that correct vision by permanently removing tissue from the eye.
While intended as a permanent vision correction treatment, the Ring is
removable, has a reversible effect and is potentially exchangeable.
''I had my right eye done first, and the Ring procedure was easy. The
next morning when I woke up, it was like 'boom', my vision was clear,'' said
David Harper, of Ottawa, one of the first Canadian KeraVision Ring patients.
KeraVision has created a new category of vision correction with the
KeraVision Ring, a non-laser approach to vision correction surgery designed
specifically for people with low to moderate nearsightedness (myopia). The
Ring treatment is the first surgical procedure that is intended to reshape the
cornea by adding material instead of removing tissue.
The Ring is composed of two micro-thin, semi-circular segments that are
precision-engineered using a medical polymer. This polymer,
polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), has been safely used for almost 50 years for
intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery and for contact lenses. The Ring
is placed in the periphery of the cornea in a procedure that takes
approximately 15 minutes.
Following seven years of clinical trials in Brazil, Europe and the United
States involving more than 1,000 patients, KeraVision received Health
Protection Branch (HPB) approval for the KeraVision Ring in May 1998. The
treatment is currently available in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Windsor,
Calgary, Edmonton and Trois-Rivières and is expected to be available in other
Canadian cities before the end of the year.
''Patients are thrilled with the procedure because it provides excellent
quality of vision right away, but still preserves their options for the
future,'' said Dr. David Edmison of the Focus Eye Centre in Ottawa. He is one
of the first Canadian surgeons to perform the treatment.
A unique benefit of the KeraVision Ring is that it can also be removed.
It is designed as a permanent solution, intended to remain in the eye without
maintenance, but is unique in the field of vision correction surgery because
it is removable, has a reversible effect and is potentially exchangeable. It
provides patients with options - they can take advantage of future
advancements in vision correction, exchange the KeraVision Ring to accommodate
for changing vision as they age, or choose to return to glasses or contact
lenses.
The procedure is specifically for those people with a low to moderate
degree of myopia (-1.0 to -4.5 diopters, with up to 1 diopter of astigmatism).
These are people whose vision needs range from wearing contact lenses or
glasses occasionally for watching a movie or driving to wearing contact lenses
or glasses all the time.
The standard for perfect vision is 20/20. In a recent U.S. clinical study
involving 350 patients, 70 per cent of KeraVision Ring patients obtained or
surpassed this standard, while 51 per cent of patients exceeded the standard
by obtaining 20/16 or better. A full 95 per cent obtained 20/40 or better,
which is the standard for driving a car in Canada.
''These results are quite impressive,'' said Dr. Fouad Tayfour of the
Windsor Laser Eye Institute. ''They compare very favourably to other surgical
vision correction methods.''
''This is the first treatment that provides the option of a permanent
correction while maintaining freedom of choice for the future,'' said Tom
Loarie, President and CEO of KeraVision, Inc. ''At one end of the spectrum is
glasses and contacts. At the other end is laser surgery. We're staking out the
middle ground.''
''This procedure is exciting because the eye is not permanently altered.
The KeraVision Ring adds material to the eye to correct vision but leaves the
central optical zone intact. This gives patients flexibility,'' said Dr. Hamza
Khan of the Gimbel Eye Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, another of the first
Canadian surgeons to perform the surgery. The central optical zone is the area
of the cornea critical for clear vision.
''The KeraVision Ring offers the advantage of an excellent quality of
vision with safety and the option of reversing the effect,'' said Dr. Simon
Holland of TLC The Laser Centre in Vancouver, who is performing the treatment.
Other Canadian surgeons who are already offering the treatment include:
Dr. Raymond Stein (Toronto), Dr. John van Westenbrugge (Calgary) and Dr.
Francis Roy (Trois Rivières). KeraVision has opened a toll free information
line for consumers at 1-888-242-9448.
KeraVision, founded in 1986, is pioneering a new approach to treating
common vision problems, one that seeks to reshape the cornea by adding
materials rather than cutting or removing tissue as other surgical methods do.
The company believes its approach is an alternative to eyeglasses, contacts
and vision correction surgeries that permanently alter the eye. In addition to
treating myopia, KeraVision's patented core technology is also being developed
to potentially treat hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. KeraVision
Inc. is based in Fremont, California, and is traded on Nasdaq (KERA).
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