-Gamagori, JAPAN, January 18, 2002-
NIDEK Co. Ltd. announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office issued Patent No. 6,315,771 for the refractive correction of astigmatism with myopia and hyperopia via cross-cylinder ablation. Paolo Vinciguerra, MD, of Milan, Italy was named as the inventor of this new method he developed using NIDEK's excimer laser technology.
Specifically, this patent covers the refractive correction of moderate and high astigmatism using a combination of methods for correcting myopic astigmatism and hyperopic astigmatism. Dr. Vinciguerra's cross-cylinder ablation effectively treats refractive errors while reducing the amount of tissue removed and is more likely to maintain a prolate cornea. A prolate-shaped cornea more accurately mirrors the eye's naturally curved shape and is thought to aid in the retention of optimal eyesight.
"With an estimated 71 million Americans alone affected by astigmatism, there is an overwhelming need to help correct the vision of these people. We hope that the more methods we provide surgeons to correct these vision problems, the better they may provide eye and vision care to their patients worldwide," said Hideo Ozawa, President and owner of NIDEK Co. Ltd.
Similar to NIDEK's U.S. Patent No. 6,136,012 issued in October 2000 covering bitoric ablations, a cross-cylinder ablation addresses astigmatic corrections in addition to either hyperopia (farsightedness) or myopia (nearsightedness). Both methods facilitate more precise laser vision correction of astigmatic corneas with excimer laser technology, further alleviating the astigmatic burden.
With these two patents, NIDEK has established exclusive intellectual property rights to these techniques for treating moderate and high levels of astigmatism. NIDEK continues to build its extensive patent portfolio, covering a wide range of refractive surgery innovations.
