Benefits at a Glance

NearVision CK is the first treatment specifically for Baby Boomers who want freedom from their reading glasses. The treatment:
Uses controlled radio waves, instead of a laser or scalpel, to change the shape of the cornea and bring near vision back into focus.
Is laser-free and extremely safe: There is no cutting and no removal of tissue.
Is minimally invasive and painless.
Is fast: The treatment is performed in less than three minutes.
Is easy to undergo: It is performed in the doctor’s office with only eye drop anesthesia.
You’re a candidate for NearVision CK if you’re 1) over age 45; 2) had great distance vision your whole life; and 3) rely on reading glasses to compensate for the loss of near vision.

Market Growth

CK has become the fastest-growing new refractive procedure since the introduction of LASIK according to research firm Market Scope.
By the end of 2004, CK had become the nation’s leading non-laser refractive procedure. The 2005 Annual Survey of Refractive Surgeons found that the non-laser refractive procedure market, as a whole, grew 37 percent over 2004 fueled in part by the shift in focus to technologies for the treatment of presbyopia, such as NearVision CK, and refractive intraocular lenses.
Presently, more than 800 U.S. ophthalmologists are certified to perform NearVision CK.
CK costs an average of $1,600 per eye. Over 125,000 CK treatments have been performed to date.

Presbyopia and Baby Boomers

Presbyopia, Greek for “aging eye,” is a progressive condition that causes near vision to fade with age.
Presbyopia is the most prevalent eye condition in America. It affects most people by the age of 40 and everyone by the age of 51. An estimated 90 million American Baby Boomers either have presbyopia or will develop the condition in the next 10 years.
Symptoms of presbyopia include difficulty with all near vision reading tasks, such as reading a newspaper or magazine, ordering from a menu, checking a price tag, dialing a cell phone, or even doing hobby work. People affected by presbyopia often own multiple pairs of reading glasses and must rely on them for even the most routine of daily tasks.

Presbyopia and Baby Boomers

Since their near vision began to deteriorate later in life, many Baby Boomers consider the need for reading glasses (often called “half-eyes,” “readers” or “granny glasses”) an unwelcome sign of aging.
A survey of Baby Boomers conducted by AllAboutVision.com, a consumer vision care resource, found that two-thirds of those surveyed would consider having an elective procedure to reduce their dependence on reading glasses. A full 42 percent ranked CK as their number-one choice, citing its non-invasive method and safety as the primary reasons for their preference.
Approximately 1.5 million Baby Boomers have had LASIK procedures to rid themselves of the glasses correcting the vision problems of their youth, but now they face a return to glasses with the onset of presbyopia. With promising preliminary results, clinical work is underway on the use of NearVision CK to treat near vision loss in patients over the age of 45 with a history of LASIK.

Patients Report Significant Near Vision Improvement

FDA clinical trial data collected 24-months after NearVision CK was performed show:
High patient satisfaction: 79 percent satisfied or very satisfied with their vision 24 months after the NearVision CK treatment.
Excellent quality of vision: 87 percent noted moderate, marked or extreme improvement in their quality of vision 24 months after CK.
There were no reported serious, sight-threatening or unanticipated safety events.

The NearVision CK Treatment

Conductive Keratoplasty is performed using a probe thinner than a strand of hair that releases radiofrequency energy. Applied to the cornea in a circular pattern, the radio waves shrink small areas of collagen to create a constrictive band (like the tightening of a belt) that increases the curvature of the cornea, bringing near vision back into focus.
NearVision CK is indicated for the temporary improvement of near vision in emmetropic presbyopes (those who require only reading glasses) and low hyperopic presbyopes (those who require reading and distance glasses).