Lasik Eyes Surgery - Russian Diplomat's Vision Restored With Intacs

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Russian Diplomat's Vision Restored With Intacs

gospa68@aol.com

2005-01-27, 8:51 am

Russian Diplomat Travels to U.S. for Groundbreaking Eye Procedure
Patient Undergoes 30-minute Out-Patient Surgery to Treat Keratoconus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago - Jan. 18, 2005 - Russian official Leonid E. Slutsky quietly
came to Chicago on a different mission last week, to treat his
Keratoconus. Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that had left
him functionally blind in one eye with vision in the other rapidly
declining. At the Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago, a
30-minute, minimally invasive outpatient procedure using Intacs
prescription inserts restored much of Mr. Slutsky's vision.

The 37 year-old Slutsky, First Vice Chairman of the Committee on
International Affairs of the State Duma and one of Russia's most
influential political figures, made the trip to Chicago accompanied by
his wife and a small entourage. At the Advocate Illinois Masonic
Medical Center Vision Correction Institute, lead Intacs surgeon
Mitchell Jackson, M.D., and Osvaldo Lopez, M.D., chief of ophthalmology
services, performed the procedure on Wed., Jan. 12, 2005. Immediately
following the procedure, Slutsky, a dynamic and gregarious man, hugged
the doctors and nurses and stated, "I can see you. It's almost like
going back 10 years."

When asked why he came to Chicago for his surgery, Slutsky explained
that he evaluated his options and decided a corneal transplant was out
of the question. He then contacted Dr. Yury Verlinsky, a friend from
years past and the renowned founder of the Reproductive Genetics
Institute, which has offices in Moscow, Chicago, and throughout the
world. Dr. Verlinsky recommended Dr. Lopez, a onetime colleague at the
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, to evaluate his condition and
the use of the recently FDA approved Intacs to treat his keratoconus.
Slutsky was unable to achieve correction with glasses or to wear
contact lenses on his misshapen corneas at only 37 years of age and was
facing the need for a cornea transplant. Dr. Verlinsky spoke with Dr.
Lopez last December and learned of the new use of Intacs for
keratoconus.

Originally diagnosed with the disease in 1997, Slutsky's vision had
been deteriorating ever since. Seeing signs at any distance and reading
had become very difficult. By squinting hard he was only able to see at
20 feet what a person with normal vision is able to see at 100 feet.
Within 30 minutes following the surgery, in which both eyes were
operated on, Mr. Slutsky's vision was 20/25, without squinting.

Dr. Lopez was happy to arrange the procedure, stating, "Mr. Slutsky
was a great patient. He even graciously surprised a member of the
Illinois Masonic surgical staff with a new pair of designer glasses at
his day-after exam, after hers were broken while wheeling him into the
recovery area after his surgery. It's gratifying to have a procedure
that is far less invasive, and requires significantly shorter recovery
time, with less risk of infection and serious complications to provide
to all our patients and to our new Russian friend."

Keratoconus is a disease that causes a thinning of the cornea, the
clear front surface of the eye. As the cornea thins, one's normal
pressure within the eye causes the front surface to bulge into a
cone-like shape, thus the name keratoconus. This unnatural shaping of
the eye has a significant impact on the way light rays enter the eye,
distorting one's vision, and, in some cases, making these patients
legally and functionally blind. It is estimated that 1 in 1,500 people
have this disease, which very often affects both eyes, and up to 20
percent of these patients will at some point undergo a corneal
transplant due to the disease's severity.

Intacs are inserted into minute channels in the cornea to achieve
correction. The inserts, made of a medical polymer, act as reinforcing
bars to help the cornea return to a more natural shape while the
central cornea is spared. Since no corneal tissue is removed, the
implanted inserts are removable should future adjustment be needed.

"For patients with keratoconus, Intacs is a breakthrough procedure
which must be strongly considered as the disease progresses. For Mr.
Slutsky, who was functionally blind and adamantly opposed to a
transplant, Intacs has offered him the luxury of sight," said Dr.
Jackson. "The nice thing about the procedure is that it can be
completed in about 30 minutes and while Mr. Slutsky's vision
improvement was slightly more dramatic than usual, the improvement in
one's vision is often almost immediate."

Addition Technology, Inc., a privately held company, is the
manufacturer of Intacs prescription inserts, the only corneal implant
approved by the FDA. Intacs are also approved for distribution and are
widely used in Europe, Asia, and Latin American countries, including
Mexico. For more information on Intacs, visit www.getintacs.com,
www.IntacsMedia.com or call 847-297-8419.

###

Contacts:

Brian Regan

Vice President

Sales & Marketing

Addition Technology, Inc.

847-297-8419

Mitchell Jackson, M.D.

Director of Jackson Eye Institute

847-356-0700

Osvaldo I. Lopez, M.D.

Chief of Ophthalmology
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

773-296-7000

serebel

2005-01-27, 8:51 am

gosp...@aol.com wrote:
> Russian Diplomat Travels to U.S. for Groundbreaking Eye Procedure
> Patient Undergoes 30-minute Out-Patient Surgery to Treat Keratoconus
>
>

That's good news for this guy, but no one here would suggest that he
should have undergone laser surgery, so I don't get your point here
other that intacs for KC worked for him.

SErebel