Long-Sought After FDA Approval of Correction Procedure Paves Way For Vision Beyond 20/20

Detroit LASIK Leader Is Among First With VISX WaveScan for CustomVue

Contact: Barbara Fornasiero 248.651.7536 or 586.817.8414; barbara@eafocus.com

West Bloomfield, Mich.---June 11, 2003---The Beitman Laser Eye Institute in West Bloomfield is among the first LASIK practices in Michigan to offer the new VISX? WaveScan System for CustomVue laser vision correction of myopia and astigmatism. CustomVue, also referred to as custom ablation, uses wavefront guided technology to produce superior LASIK outcomes with corrected vision potentially exceeding 20/20. The long-awaited FDA approval of CustomVue was announced on Friday, May 23, 2003.

The VISX WaveScan System captures a “fingerprint” of the eye which is 25 times more precise than what was previously measurable by standard methods. WaveScan moves beyond evaluation of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism to capture other more specific imperfections in an individual’s vision. This data is then used to generate a unique, individualized treatment for the CustomVue procedure.

Robert D. Beitman, M.D., F.A.C.S., founder and Medical Director of the Beitman Laser Eye Institute and Michigan’s forerunner in vision correction, believes that CustomVue represents an unprecedented advance in LASIK surgery.

“In a relatively short period of time, the LASIK industry has produced variable spot scanning software for farsightedness, upgraded laser systems, IntraLASIK for safer, more precise corneal flaps without a blade, and now WaveScan for CustomVue, “eagle eye” LASIK-corrected vision,” cites Dr. Beitman. “The checklist for must-have LASIK technology continues to grow, and it’s all to the patient’s benefit. That is why it’s imperative that medical consumers do their homework prior to undergoing LASIK to ensure their surgeon is using the most advanced and proven technology available,” continues Dr. Beitman.

The arrival of WaveScan CustomVue comes less than six months after Dr. Beitman introduced Michigan to the all-laser INTRALASE FS Laser and IntraLASIK software. These technologies work together to make a corneal flap, the critical first step in LASIK surgery where the top layer of the cornea is prepared to create a temporary hinge.

Clinical data presented by VISX at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2003 Symposium and Congress and subsequently released in a written statement to the media, revealed that 98% of the participants could see 20/20 or better, while nearly 70% could see better than 20/20 without glasses or contacts. Further, in a six-month evaluation of clinical study participants, four times as many people were very satisfied with their night vision after the VISX CustomVue procedure, compared to their previous night vision with glasses or contacts.

All surgical technology used at the Beitman Laser Eye Institute is powered by the industry leading VISX Star S4 laser, which is considered the gold standard among laser systems. Not only is the VISX Star S4 the most technologically advanced laser system in the world today, it is approved by the FDA for the widest range of corrections.

Dr. Beitman was named to LaserVision Centers, Inc. Top 5 Surgeons list for 2002, a list of the nation’s leading LASIK surgeons based on volume. He participated in the FDA trials for the initial approval of LASIK in 1995 and was the first surgeon to perform LASIK in Michigan. Dr. Beitman holds a medical degree from Wayne State University and received his ophthalmology residency training at Detroit's Sinai Hospital, which pioneered the use of lasers in ophthalmology.

Dr. Beitman is a member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and is the founder and past president of the Michigan Keratorefractive Society.

For additional information on CustomVue, IntraLASIK and laser vision correction, please visit www.beitman.com, www.VISX.com, and www.intralase.com.

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