The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Minor procedure, major relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 08, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Minor procedure, major relief

Staff Reporter

Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital tie up with U.S. firm for correcting presbyopia Conductive Keratoplasty, a non-invasive correction procedure, promises to do away with spectacles for age-related problem

CHENNAI: If you are over 40 and need glasses to read this, there may be some good news for you.

City-based Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital has tied up with the U.S. company Refractec for a non-invasive correction procedure to correct presbyopia, an age-related condition that mars near vision, including reading, computer work and stitching.

The procedure, called Conductive Keratoplasty, involves the use of a radio frequency probe, smaller than a human hair, to alter the curvature of the cornea. Until now the only treatment for presbyopia was reading glasses or lens surgery. Dr. Amar Agarwal said it would ideally suit persons with power ranging from +1.5 to +3. "The highlight of the procedure is that it does not involve any cutting or sculpting of the cornea. The procedure takes less than five minutes and admittance is not required. It is ideal for those who want to do away with glasses."

Dr. Agarwal said patients wishing to undergo the procedure would need a pre-operative screening. "The procedure can be performed only on persons whose cornea is not damaged."

Stephen E. Pascussi, an eye specialist from the U.S., who demonstrated the surgery to doctors at the hospital, said Conductive Keratoplasty was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) three years ago.

"It is perhaps the safest refractive procedure today." Keith Burgess of Refractec, which has patented the surgical procedure, said more than 1.25 lakh people had undergone the surgery in the U.S. in the last three years; the success rate was more than 95 per cent.

Dr. Agarwal's Hospital on Tuesday concluded a two-day workshop on the procedure. The cost of the procedure is about Rs. 9,000 per eye. For details, check out www.myclearvision.com or call Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital at 2811 6233 or 2811 2592.

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