EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/111385
Presbyopia February 2013 A scleral continued from page 60 SSP Implant Source (all): Karl G. Stonecipher, M.D. PresVIEW since its Phase I trials; in Phase III, he has performed the procedure in 13 patients/26 eyes. Although the results have been positive, the research still needs to show exactly what makes PresVIEW effective in target patients, Dr. Stonecipher said. The procedure itself will have some improvements in the near future, including the previously mentioned faster surgical speed. ���The company is working on the device that will make creating the tunnels a faster process than it currently is. This will make it easier for surgeons,��� Dr. Boxer Wachler said. Some refinements to PresVIEW that are undergoing tests overseas may soon reach the U.S. and make the procedure more predictable, Dr. Kugler said. There is a risk of anterior segment ischemia with the procedure, Dr. Stonecipher said. However, with the use of a pupillometer, surgeons can measure the pupil as needed and eliminate the chance of such a problem occurring. A marketplace ���t If PresVIEW���s trials have positive results and the procedure is approved by the FDA, investigators envision the surgery targeting the large number of plano presbyopes in the population���and specifically, patients who want to avoid or cannot tolerate monovision and who may need particularly strong binocular vision, Dr. Kugler said. ���Right now, we don���t have a great solution for plano presbyopes,��� Dr. Kugler said. ���You look at scleral spacing and corneal inlays and other technology that���s emerging. I think there will be a role for all of them, and the demand is huge.��� Dr. Stonecipher also sees a role for the various presbyopic solutions, ranging from modified monovision to corneal inlays to lens-based solutions to a procedure like PresVIEW. ���I think the market will allow us to treat different factions of patients with different options,��� he said. PresVIEW also fits into the evergrowing presbyopic market due to both the large population of plano presbyopes ideal for this treatment and because patients who have had previous refractive surgery are requesting presbyopic options as they age into their naturally occurring presbyopia, Dr. Stonecipher said. EW Editors��� note: Dr. Stonecipher has financial interests with Refocus Group. Drs. Boxer Wachler and Kugler have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Boxer Wachler: 310-860-1900, bbw@boxerwachler.com Kugler: 400-558-2211, lkugler@lasikomaha.com Stonecipher: 336-288-8523, stonenc@aol.com