FDA Approves New Vision Procedure
Sep 24,2004 12:00
by
Dr_Kondrot
Edward C. Kondrot, MD, CCH
America's Most Prevalent Eye Condition: 90 Million Have or Will Soon Develop Presbyopia.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of the CK (Conductive Keratoplasty) procedure. It is the first and only FDA-approved vision technology that improves near vision in the millions of baby boomers with presbyopia, the age-related eye condition that sets in after age 40. NearVision CK uses radio waves to reshape the cornea and bring near vision back into focus. Minimally invasive and painless, NearVision CK is performed in less than three minutes in the doctor's office with only eye-drop anesthesia. The procedure is laser-free and extremely safe; there is no cutting and no removal of tissue.
The Greek word for "aging eye," presbyopia is the most prevalent eye condition in America, affecting most people after age 40 and everyone by age 51. Presbyopia causes near vision to fade with age, making it difficult to see things up-close. An estimated 90 million baby boomers either have presbyopia or will develop the condition in the next 10 years. These people struggle to read or do hobby work and must rely on magnifying reading glasses for even the most mundane of daily tasks, like checking their watch. They often own multiple pairs of reading glasses (called "readers," "half-eyes" or "granny glasses"), which many consider a hassle and an unwelcome sign of aging.
"The frustration many people feel with the on-again, off-again annoyance of reading glasses cannot be overemphasized. CK is just what baby boomers have been waiting for to help them get rid of their reading glasses and safely see like they did when they were young."
Procedure Custom-Made For Baby Boomers
NearVision CK is the only vision procedure designed specifically for baby boomers who want a safe, minimally invasive procedure to free them of reading glasses. CK has become the fastest-growing new refractive procedure since the introduction of LASIK according to research firm Market Scope. More than 30,000 CK procedures have been performed since the FDA first approved it in 2002 for age-related farsightedness (hyperopia), a condition that differs from presbyopia in its effect on the eye's ability to focus, but has similar symptoms.
The FDA based its approval on clinical trial data collected at the 12-month follow-up visit in which NearVision CK demonstrated effectiveness in significantly improving patients' near vision.
98 percent of patients could see J5 (magazine- and newspaper-sized print) in the eye that was treated;
87 percent of patients could see 20/20 in the distance and also read J3 or phonebook-sized print (significantly smaller than news print).
There were NO reported serious, sight-threatening or unanticipated safety events.
Dr. Edward Kondrot is a board-certified Ophthalmologist and certified homeopathic doctor. He is the author of Healing the Eye the Natural Way: Alternative Medicine and Macular Degeneration, and Microcurrent Stimulation: Miracle Eye Cure. In addition, he is the director of the Farrington School of Homeopathy in Pittsburgh and is a core faculty member at the Desert Institute of Classical Homeopathy in Phoenix. His two main offices are in Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona. His web page is http://www.healingtheeye.com/ and he can be reached at