LADARVision^® System Obtains Broadest Treatment Range for Customized Refractive Surgery

Laser Eye Surgery Developed, in Part, in Overland Park, Now Available for More Than 90 Percent of Nearsighted LASIK Candidates  

Overland Park, Kansas (June 30, 2004) – More than 90 percent of people with nearsightedness could now be candidates for an advance form of LASIK. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expansion of the treatment range for Alcon’s customized wavefront-guided LASIK procedure, CustomCornea^®.

Dr. Daniel Durrie of Durrie Vision in Overland Park, was one of the original medical monitors for CustomCornea^®. "We are very pleased that our wavefront-guided LASIK procedure is now available for so many patients," he said. "Since most vision correction patients suffer from some combination of nearsighted and astigmatism, the vast majority of vision care patients now have the potential to improve their quality of vision with this clinically proven procedure."

Performed with the LADARVision^® System, CustomCornea^® is now approved for treatment of nearsightedness (myopia) up to -8.0 diopters (up from -7.0) and astigmatism up to -4.0 diopters (up from -0.5). This approval gives Alcon (NYC:ACL) the broadest wavefront-guided treatment range of any refractive laser system in the U.S.

With CustomCornea^®, physicians are able to measure and treat visual abnormalities that have never been detected before, including those linked to glare, halos and night vision problems. This advanced treatment can provide patients with better quality of vision after surgery than they had with contacts or glasses.

Further clinical trials are ongoing at Durrie Vision to demonstrate the effectiveness of the LADARVision^® System for wavefront-guided treatment of farsightedness (hyperopia) with and without astigmatism, and for the treatment of eyes with other symptoms, such as pre-existing night vision problems and post-LASIK complications.

Alcon, Inc. is the world’s leading eye care company. Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for more than 50 years, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, contact lens solutions and other vision care products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye.