San Francisco Business Times
In an article June 2, 2006, by Chris Rauber of the San Francisco Business Times
Here’s looking at you.
San Leandro’s Stephen Turner, M.D., in February became the first Bay Area ophthalmologist to perform a recently approved type of eye surgery that implants a permanent manmade lens in nearsighted patients who don’t qualify for Lasik surgery. That includes severely nearsighted patients or those with thin corneas or “dry-eye” conditions.
The permanent refractive lens, called the Visian ICL (implantable collamer lens), is made by Monrovia-based STAAR Surgical Co. It earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval late last year.
Turner — whose Turner Eye Institute has offices in San Leandro, San Francisco, Concord and San Jose — said he’s the first Bay Area specialist to be certified to perform the surgery. He also participated in FDA clinical trials of the lens, which can be surgically implanted in about 15 minutes under local anesthesia. The surgery isn’t cheap — at $3,500 per eye — and isn’t covered by health insurance, but backers say the implant is maintenance free, can’t get lost, and offers results similar or better to those of Lasik surgery.
So far, Turner has performed more than 45 procedures, and the new surgical technique represents “between 5 percent and 10 percent” of his practice’s revenue, or roughly $30,000 a month. Said Turner: “We expect to see continued growth” in this niche.
note: Turner Eye Institute did not take place in the FDA clinical trials of the Visian Lens. Dr. Stephen Turner was a FDA clinical investigator for a precursor lens (another phakic IOL lens). All Visian surgeries take place at the surgical center in San Leandro.
