New Medicare policy allows seniors access to ...( ALISO VIEJO Calif. May 10 2005 -- Ey...),Health

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., May 10, 2005 -- Eyeonics, Inc. today announced that the crystalensTM 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-re
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Contact: Mike Judy
mjudy@eyeonics.com
949-389-3601
Goolsby Group
10-May-2005

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