LASIK Alternative For "Too Thin" Cornea Patients

SAN LEANDRO, California, USA — Ever since childhood, Brian Mathews has had to worry about his eyesight — first with glasses and then with contact lenses.

For 20 years, Mathews has had to consider how some of his extracurricular activities might affect his eyes when riding a motorcycle or scuba diving.

But four months ago, all that changed when the severely near-sighted man decided to get Visian eye surgery from Dr. Stephen Turner, a San Leandro ophthalmologist and founder of the Turner Eye Institute.

Initially, Mathews had hoped to get LASIK eye surgery, but was told by Turner that he did not qualify because his corneas were too thin. When it was suggested that Mathews try the new cutting-edge procedure, the Oakley real estate agent figured it was worth a try.

Visian turned out to be one of the best decisions Mathews ever made.

"Since I got Visian, I don't have to think about my contacts anymore because they've become a non-issue" he said. "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. It's a great feeling to wake up and not have to worry about it."

Visian, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, is a procedure performed under anesthesia while the patient is awake.

Unlike LASIK, where the eye is lasered, Visian functions more like a permanent contact lens, bending or refracting light rays to allow them to focus on the retina, Turner said.

A micro-incision is made in the eye and the Visian Implantable Collamer Lens is inserted behind the iris and in front of the natural lens, Turner said. Collamer is a soft, flexible lens material containing a small amount of collagen.

Because it's implanted in 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," the doctor said.

The procedure is performed one eye at a time, with the second eye surgery being treated about two weeks later. The cost is $3,500 per eye, which is not covered by insurance.

Turner, who has been in practice for 30 years, is the only ophthalmologist in the Bay Area who is certified to perform this procedure, which takes about 15 minutes. Turner performed the procedure for the first time about seven years ago in Mexico, and participated in the FDA's clinical trials for a precursor of this lens.

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