Clearview Institute's Laser Eye Surgery Made Safer With "HPB Approved LASIK XTRA"TM

Online, January 30, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Clearview Institute is leading the way for laser eye clinics in Canada by being the first to offer Lasik XtraTM* - a revolutionary treatment that strengthens the corneal tissue during laser eye surgery. The less than two minute procedure minimizes the risk of future complications and ensures the long-term success of LASIK/PRK patients.

Lasik XtraTM - developed by Avedro, a world-wide leader in corneal crosslinking technology, uses riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and UV light to strengthen the cornea for patients at risk of developing a degenerative condition known as "ectasia" - a disease that can occur years after LASIK/PRK surgery.

Ectasia is a condition where the cornea becomes progressively weaker, often leading to permanent vision loss. It is arguably the surgeon's greatest fear to leave a patient's cornea too thin, causing it tobe unstable and vulnerable to ectasia. A patient's risk to such a condition is a major make-or-break factor for candidacy and is also the reason why the FDA upholds strict guidelines on corneal thicknesses post-surgery.

Though corneal ectasia is typically surgery-induced, the progressive condition can occur naturally in the general population and is known as keratoconus. The treatment of keratoconus with corneal crosslinking was established in Canada in 2008 and is also offered by the Clearview Institute.

The advantage in Lasik XtraTM is that it is an abbreviated version of a full crosslinking treatment that can be incorporated during surgery to those who are particularly at risk for developing ectasia.

"Whenever you perform laser eye surgery, the cornea is inevitably weakened by a certain percent as tissue is being taken away. Lasik XtraTM allows me to strengthen the cornea back to its original presurgery strength." - explains Dr. Christoph Kranemann, medical director at the Clearview Institute.

Dr. Kranemann has been using the Lasik XtraTM system since May 2011 and results have been overwhelmingly positive. "Lasik XtraTM has had no negative effect on visual result and has been particularly important for far-sided patients, in these patients it has made a significance difference in the predictability of the outcome and their visual gain" - reports Dr. Kranemann.

I feel there is an added benefit to having Lasik XtraTM as its stabilizing effect "locks-in" a prescription after surgery. Dr. Kranemann and his team have found there to be a lower incidence of regression in patients who have had Lasik XtraTM. Regression occurs when the cornea attempts to return to its original shape after surgery and has plagued surgeons for decades, as it often requires extra "touchup" surgeries.

In the meanwhile, Dr. Kranemann says, "For certain people interested in having LASIK, it would almost be a disservice to not offer Lasik Xtra!TM"