In an impressive bit of lobbying, Eyeonics, the manufacturer of
Crystalens, has convinced Medicare to allow patients to utilize the
accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) when cataracts require removal of
the natural lens of the eye.

We have an article on Crystalens at
http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/crystalens.htm

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May 10, 2005 03:30 America/Los_Angeles  

New Medicare Policy Allows Seniors Access to crystalens(TM)

eyeonics inc.-Led Effort Results in Expanded Reimbursement Policy for
Presbyopia-Correcting IOLs

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- eyeonics, inc. today
announced that the crystalens(TM) procedure can now be privately
purchased by Medicare beneficiaries. crystalens is the first and only
FDA-approved naturally focusing (accommodating) vision-correction lens
replacement for adults with cataracts and presbyopia.

crystalens is the most advanced intraocular lens (IOL) currently
available, yet the previous Medicare reimbursement policy did not
allow its beneficiaries to opt for this advanced technology for
cataract surgery. Culminating a five-year effort, eyeonics led the way
in affecting this policy change, working with U.S. Congressman
Christopher Cox (Newport Beach, Calif.), the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, physicians and ophthalmic industry leaders.

"More than 2.2 million cataract surgeries are performed each year on
patients age 65 and over," said J. Andy Corley, co-founder, chairman
and CEO of eyeonics. "Yet as vision technologies advanced, Medicare
reimbursement did not keep pace."

"This policy change means that patients will have the right to choose
a vision correction technology that best meets their lifestyle and
visual demands. It also gives doctors the freedom to offer innovative
technologies such as the crystalens for their Medicare patients," said
ophthalmologist Steven J. Dell, MD, of the Texan Eye Care in Austin,
Texas.

Seniors on Medicare now can choose the presbyopia-correcting
crystalens, which focuses and moves in the eye like the natural lens
thanks to its proprietary accommodating characteristics. The
crystalens is designed to treat two conditions: cataract removal with
lens replacement (a procedure covered by Medicare) and presbyopia (a
non-covered service). Patients who select crystalens will receive the
standard Medicare reimbursement for cataract surgery, and can now pay
privately for the presbyopic portion of the treatment.

Presbyopia is an inevitable age-related eye condition that makes it
difficult to read or see objects up-close without the use of reading
glasses. Presbyopia is the first sign of a cataract and is the most
prevalent eye condition in America. It causes the crystalline lens to
increasingly stiffen, lose flexibility and cloud, diminishing its
focusing ability.

crystalens corrects vision at all distances and in most cases
eliminates the need for glasses and contacts for everyday tasks. Its
ability to focus at all distances frees most patients from the need
for glasses following cataract surgery. In clinical trials, nearly
three-times the number of patients (85 percent) who received the
crystalens could see at all distances compared to a standard IOL.

"This ruling greatly expands the market opportunity for crystalens now
that doctors can offer a presbyopic treatment to their Medicare
patients with cataracts," said Corley. "This policy change would not
have been possible without the support and efforts of Congressman Cox.
Medicare beneficiaries now have the same access to this new technology
that was previously available only to non-Medicare patients."

About crystalens

The crystalens is the result of more than 14 years of research and
development by J. Stuart Cumming, M.D., F.A.C.S., and was approved by
the FDA in November 2003. More than 24,000 lenses have been implanted
worldwide to date. During clinical trials, all of the patients who
received the crystalens greatly reduced their need for corrective
lenses or eyeglasses. The patented crystalens technology is designed
to allow the lens to move in the eye in a manner similar to the
natural lens. By using the eye's muscle to move the lens back and
forwards naturally, patients can focus through a continuous range of
vision including near, far and everywhere in between. All other
intraocular lenses are designed to remain fixed in the eye. For more
information about the crystalens go to www.crystalens.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
USAEyes.org

"Consider and Choose With Confidence"

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.