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Lasik cost and complications

The cost of lasik is staying rather steady. Complications have always been low, new laser further reduce major complications. New FDA-Approved LASIK Gets Surgery Right the First Time; Re-Treatment Rates Less Than One-Tenth Industry Average at Sloane Vision Center

OAK BROOK, Ill.--July 19, 2005--No one wants to return to the doctor to have a surgical procedure repeated because it wasn't done completely or correctly the first time. Yet it is estimated that nearly ten percent of the more than 3 million LASIK procedures performed in the U.S. each year require a second surgery to achieve the desired effect. Today, a new FDA-approved LASIK system has been shown to dramatically reduce these re-treatment rates. The German designed and engineered ALLEGRETTO WAVE(TM) is the first in the Chicago area, and it's available only at Sloane Vision Center.

In the early 1990s, the enhancement rate for refractive surgery was between 35 and 40 percent. Enhancements, or re-treatments, involve a reapplication of the laser under the corneal flap and may be necessary to correct vision that has been under-corrected or over-corrected during the first treatment. As LASIK technology has improved over time, so have enhancement rates; however, it is widely accepted that nearly one in ten patients still undergoes LASIK re-treatment today.

Using the ALLEGRETTO WAVE, experts are reporting that enhancement rates can be greatly minimized. Since acquiring this technology, Dr. Herman Sloane's enhancement rate is 1-2 percent and after LASIK, more than two thirds of Dr. Sloane's patients achieve better than 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses.

"Our goal is to provide patients with the excellent vision they desire the first time around, and the technology itself is as important as surgical experience in achieving the best visual outcomes for patients," said Dr. Sloane, Medical Director of Sloane Vision Center. "We've used numerous LASIK platforms in the past and with each generation, there is improvement. But the ALLEGRETTO WAVE's re-treatment rate is less than 2 percent, and that is just phenomenal. Patients are achieving optimal vision within hours of treatment -- no other laser platform is this precise or predictable."

LASIK re-treatments are more than inconvenient for the patient and the physician. Each re-treatment doubles a patient's risk of adverse surgical outcomes. "Although LASIK is a very safe procedure, it's still surgery," added Dr. Sloane. "The fewer refinements we have to perform, the healthier it is for the patient."

"I was excited about getting rid of my annoying contact lenses, but I was also nervous about the procedure," said 30-year-old Semina Middleton from Hanover Park, who was recently treated at Sloane Vision Center. "I heard that the procedure may not go right the first time. After speaking to Dr. Sloane, I was so much more confident that I would get the results I wanted. And, today, I am still amazed at how clear my vision is with one short treatment."

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE has been successfully used since the late 90s in Europe, where it has been the leader in international sales for the past three years. In the U.S., it was the first new laser platform to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in nearly five years, and that clearance was for the highest-ever ranges of nearsightedness and farsightedness.

For more information about the ALLEGRETTO WAVE with PerfectPulse Technology, please contact Sloane Vision Center at www.drsloane.com or 1-877-24 LASIK.

ABOUT THE ALLEGRETTO WAVE

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE, manufactured by WaveLight Laser Technologie, AG, was the first refractive laser to receive concurrent approvals for the treatment of myopia up to -12 diopters with astigmatism of up to -6 diopters and hyperopia up to +6 diopters with astigmatism of up to +5 diopters, not exceeding a mean spherical equivalent of +6 diopters. For more information about the benefits and risks associated with this product, please visit fda.gov or allegrettowave.com.

Sources:
The Comprehensive Report on the Refractive Market. Market Scope, LLC. October 2004.

Collins MJ, Durrie DS. What your LASIK enhancement rate says about you. Ophthalmology Management 2001; 5: 4: 94-97. Alexander A. Wavefront-optimized technology helps practice stay competitive. Ocular Surgery News 2005; 23: 8: 36-37.

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