First to Provide STAAR Visian ICL in Bay Area
Stephen G. Turner, M.D., is the First in S.F. Bay Area to Treat Patients with Visian Permanently Implanted Refractive Lenses
San Leandro—May 8, 2006 –Nearsighted patients who have been turned down for LASIK surgery are realizing their dream of a life without glasses and contact lenses thanks to a newly developed refractive lens that is revolutionizing vision care.
In the San Francisco area, the procedure is being performed by a single ophthalmologist, San Leandro-based Stephen G. Turner, M.D., who also participated in U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials for a precursor of this lens.
“This procedure truly is a miracle for people who believed they’d need glasses for the rest of their lives because they aren’t good candidates for LASIK,” said Turner, founder of the Turner Eye Institute. “The beauty of it is its relative simplicity. I can perform the procedure in approximately 15 minutes in my office, there is virtually no pain for the patient and no sutures are required.”
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia while the patient is awake. A micro incision is made in the eye and the Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) is inserted behind the iris and in front of the natural lens. Collamer is a soft, flexible lens material containing a small amount of collagen. Visian offers many advantages to patients who can’t have LASIK surgery, including:
- Excellent quality of vision with predictable and stable results
- The lens is invisible to the wearer and observers and it can’t be felt
- It can correct a wide range of nearsightedness, including extreme (prescriptions up to ‑20) or special vision correction needs
- The lens is removable if necessary
- It does not shape the cornea like LASIK
- The procedure is safe and proven
LASIK normally is not recommended for patients who are severely nearsighted, have thin corneas or who have a dry-eye problem. None of these symptoms is an issue with Visian.
In fact, Visian also is beneficial for some patients who would otherwise choose LASIK, Turner said. For some LASIK candidates, Visian would result in
- less glare,
- less dryness of the eye, and
- sharper vision.
“Visian functions like a permanent contact lens, bending – or refracting – light rays to allow them to focus on the retina,” Turner said. The procedure is performed on one eye at a time. The second eye can be treated as few as two weeks later. The cost is $3,500 per eye, which is not covered by insurance.
Because it is implanted inside the eye, the Visian lens is maintenance-free. “It never dries out like conventional contact lenses, it never becomes dirty, it can’t get lost and patients don’t have to insert it in their eyes each morning,” Turner said.
That’s why Brian Mathews, a real estate agent from Discovery Bay is looking at life so differently these days. After Dr. Turner implanted Visian lenses in Mathews’ severely nearsighted eyes in February, his vision was so clear he had to remind himself he wasn’t wearing his contacts.
“What I really love is now I can ride my motorcycle and not have the wind dry my contact lenses, which sometimes popped out while I was on the road,” Mathews said. “The other day I had a great day scuba diving. I could see everything under there! I see perfectly. This is great!”
It is only fitting that Turner is one of a select group of eye surgeons across the United States certified to perform Visian implantation. Under his leadership, the Turner Eye Institute has been at the forefront of every new development in refractive and cataract surgery.
Turner is a board certified ophthalmologist and a trained fellow at the American College of Surgeons. Turner also is certified by the American Board of Eye Surgery and has completed specialized post-doctorate training at the prestigious University of California Medical Center in San Francisco and at the internationally acclaimed Saint John’s Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel.
This year, the Turner Eye Institute, with locations in San Francisco, Concord, San Jose and San Leandro, is celebrating 30 years of excellence. For more information about Visian implantation, LASIK surgery or other medical procedures of the eye, please call (800) 339-2733 or visit the institute’s Web site at www.turnereye.com.
