EyeWorld Asia-Pacific March 2013 Issue

39 EWAP REFRACTIVE March 2013 positive, the research still needs to show exactly what makes PresVIEW effective in target patients, Dr. Stonecipher said. The procedure itself will have some improvements in the near future, including the previously mentioned faster surgical speed. “The company is working on the device that will make creating the tunnels a faster process than it currently is. This will make it easier for surgeons,” Dr. Boxer Wachler said. Some refinements to PresVIEW that are undergoing tests overseas may soon reach the U.S. and make the procedure more predictable, Dr. Kugler said. There is a risk of anterior segment ischemia with the procedure, Dr. Stonecipher said. However, with the use of a pupillometer, surgeons can measure the pupil as needed and eliminate the chance of such a problem occurring. A marketplace fit If PresVIEW’s trials have positive results and the procedure is approved by the FDA, investigators envision the surgery targeting the large number of plano presbyopes in the population—and specifically, patients who want to avoid or cannot tolerate monovision and who may need particularly strong binocular vision, Dr. Kugler said. “Right now, we don’t have a great solution for plano presbyopes,” Dr. Kugler said. “You look at scleral spacing and corneal inlays and other technology that’s emerging. I think there will be a role for all of them, and the demand is huge.” Dr. Stonecipher also sees a role for the various presbyopic solutions, ranging from modified monovision to corneal inlays to lens-based solutions to a procedure like PresVIEW. “I think the market will allow us to treat different factions of patients with different options,” he said. PresVIEW also fits into the ever-growing presbyopic market due to both the large population of plano presbyopes ideal for this treatment and because patients who have had previous refractive surgery are requesting presbyopic options as they age into their naturally occurring presbyopia, Dr. Stonecipher said. EWAP Editors’ note: Dr. Stonecipher has financial interests with Refocus Group. Drs. Boxer Wachler and Kugler have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Boxer Wachle r: 310-860-1900, bbw@boxerwachler.com Kugler : 400-558-2211, lkugler@lasikomaha.com Stonecipher : 336-288-8523, stonenc@aol.com