Presbyopia – New Technologies & Treatments

Excimer Lasers and Multifocal Corneal Ablations

Alarcón et al evaluated different theoretical models of a multifocal cornea for the correction of presbyopia by laser ablation using ray tracings. Because the pupil’s size decreases with accommodation, the investigators preferred the central model to obtain optimal multifocality with the achievement of a 2.4-mm central zone diameter to the peripheral model with a 2.9-mm central zone. It should be noted that, although near vision is better, the quality of distance vision provided by these models is worse than that of a presbyopic emmetropic eye.

In a clinical trial conducted over 12-months showed results of aspheric wavefrontguided LASIK to treat hyperopic presbyopia. They treated 66 eyes of 33 patients using the Visx Star S4 IR (Abbott Medical Optics Inc.). Six months postoperatively, mean corrected distance visual acuity was 20/20+1, and distance corrected near visual acuity was 2.7 ±1.7, with a maximum of a 6-line improvement in near vision. At 12 months, 100{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} of patients achieved a binocular simultaneous UCVA of 20/25 or better and J3. Negative spherical aberration highly correlated with a postoperative improvement in distance corrected near visual acuity. In their conclusions, the researchers stated that patients who had a larger amount of preoperative hyperopia or a greater decrease in preoperative distance-corrected near visual acuity were more likely to have overall satisfaction.

A chart review of 178 consecutive patients underwent bilateral presby-LASIK (or progressive multifocal LASIK) using the WaveLight Allegretto excimer laser (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.). The patients had a preoperative refractive error of emmetropia, myopia of up to -5.00 D, or hyperopia of up to +3.00 D and no more than 3.00 D of astigmatism. Of 102 patients with at least 3 months’ postoperative follow-up, 81{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} had a binocular distance UCVA of 20/20 or better, and 98{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} saw 20/25 or better. Additionally, 44{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved J1 binocular near acuity, 60{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} J2, and 96{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} J3 or better.

Another clinical trial presented early outcomes of Intracor femtosecond laser treatment for presbyopia. The investigators treated the nondominant eye of 25 patients using the Technolas Perfect Vision femtosecond laser (Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH). The procedure involves the creation of five consecutive intrastromal rings around the line of sight. Treatment times were approximately 20 seconds. The mean gain in UCVA was 4.42 lines, with a range of 0 to 9 lines of improvement. The mean loss of distance BCVA was -0.46 ±0.83.9 Similarly, Ruiz et al evaluated 83 eyes of 45 patients with 6- to 12-month follow-up. Of the 83 eyes, 89.2{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved both J2 and 20/25 or better, and 69.9{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved a near UCVA of J1. This technology has the advantage of being minimally invasive, with a rapid effect manifesting within minutes to several hours. Further investigation of long-term stability is ongoing.

Related data from a safety study performed in the Philippines by Harvey S. Uy, MD. Fourteen patients were between 45 and 60 years of age with 20/40 or better BCVA, had no greater than grade 2 cataracts, and had originally consented to cataract surgery. All underwent unilateral treatment with the option to proceed to cataract surgery after 1 month of follow-up. Early results showed no progressive cataract formation at 1 month.

At Laser Locators we carry the top name surgical and diagnostic ophthalmic equipment manufacturers you can trust, like Acon, Nidek, Lumenis and more for preforming all of your precise ophthalmic procedures. Contact us at www.laserlocators.com  or call 1-877-924-2020 and let one of our expert equipment locators help you today.

Save Money with Section 179 – Deadline December 31st

Most people think the Section 179 deduction is some mysterious or complicated tax code.  Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income. It’s an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves.  Today, Section 179 is one of the few incentives included in any of the recent Stimulus Bills that actually helps small businesses. Although large businesses also benefit from Section 179 or Bonus Depreciation, the original target of this legislation was much needed tax relief for small businesses – and millions of small businesses are actually taking action and getting real benefits.

When your business buys certain items of equipment, it typically gets to write them off a little at a time through depreciation. In other words, if your company spends $50,000 on a machine, it gets to write off (say) $10,000 a year for five years (these numbers are only meant to give you an example).  Now, while it’s true that this is better than no write off at all, most business owners would really prefer to write off the entire equipment purchase price for the year they buy it.  In fact, if a business could write off the entire amount, they might add more equipment this year instead of waiting over the next few years. That’s the whole purpose behind Section 179 – to motivate the American economy (and your business) to move in a positive direction. For most small businesses (adding total equipment, software, and vehicles totaling less than $139,000 in 2012), the entire cost can be written-off on the 2012 tax return.

All businesses that purchase, finance, and/or lease less than $560,000 in new or used business equipment during tax year 2012 should qualify for the Section 179 Deduction. If a business is unprofitable in 2012, and has no taxable income to use the deduction, that business can elect to use 50% Bonus Depreciation and carry-forward to a year when the business is profitable. The equipment, vehicle(s), and/or software must be used for business purposes more than 50% of the time to qualify for the Section 179 Deduction. Simply multiply the cost of the equipment, vehicle(s), and/or software by the percentage of business-use to arrive at the monetary amount eligible for Section 179.

Contact Laser Locators today to talk with their team about how 179 can help with your purchase.  We also offer creative financing options throughout the United States and Canada.

Source: www.section179.org

OCULUS Inc. is expanding in the U.S.

Best Service from East to West

For more than 115 years, OCULUS has been a partner for eye care professionals around the world by developing and manufacturing high precision ophthalmic instruments. OCULUS understands the importance of the after sales service and we take pride in our exceptional customer service.

In order to better serve the customers in the United States, the OCULUS Inc. headquarters is moving to a new facility in Arlington, WA, north of Seattle. The new office building accommodates executive offices, main customer service center, and finance and operations divisions. It will also house a state-of-the-art showroom of the innovative OCULUS products from Germany.

OCULUS is also pleased to announce the opening of an east coast service center in Florida. Starting August 15th, the helpline will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST for 12 hours a day to serve our customers.

OCULUS Inc. headquarters is now located at

17721 59th Avenue NE,

Arlington, WA 98223

www.oculususa.com

At Laser Locators we carry the top name surgical and diagnostic ophthalmic equipment manufacturers you can trust, like Acon, Nidek, Lumenis and more for preforming all of your precise ophthalmic procedures. Contact us at www.laserlocators.com  or call 1-877-924-2020 and let one of our expert equipment locators help you today.

Laser locators 2012 laser growth

Global Ophthalmic Lasers market is projected to reach $804 Million by 2015, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. https://www.prweb.com The GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global outlook on Ophthalmic Lasers market. Growing aging population, increasing accessibility to advanced laser eye treatment, developing regions, and the increase in number of eye patients opting for eye surgery, are expected to drive the market for Ophthalmic Lasers.

The global ophthalmic lasers market is expected to see significant growth driven by population increases of patients over the age of 65. This age-group is generally associated with certain unique eye problems, indicating a need for more advanced vision correction solutions. Other factors indicating growth of the ophthalmology lasers market over the coming years include increased accessibility to advanced laser eye treatments to patients around the world; the ophthalmology products market in Asia and other developing nations; and an increasing number of individuals in need of vision correction treatments,

The demand for certain major ophthalmic laser treatments suffered a decline during the recent economic recession as customers postponed elective surgeries due to reduced disposable incomes. Despite the downfall though, technological developments continued forward for the future growth of the industry. Projected future economic upturn is expected to support the number of people opting for elective eye surgery in order to do away with reading glasses, contacts, and bifocals. Early diagnosis, and the detection of certain eye disorders in conjunction with imaging technologies, such as OCT, is another factor that is expected to boost the growth of the laser eye correction market in future.

The research report “Ophthalmic Lasers: A Global Outlook” announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a collection of statistical data, market briefs, and research findings. The report offers an overall view of the global ophthalmic lasers industry. Regional markets include US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and beyond.