The Cataract Surgery Market
Currently, the majority of cataract surgical procedures are performed using an ultrasonic phacoemulsifier device. The phaco, as it is commonly called, utilizes an ultrasonic generator which vibrates the tip of the phaco hand piece 40,000 times per second. When the tip is introduced into the eye and placed in contact with the cataractous lens, the lens is gradually reduced to smaller pieces until it can be aspirated out of the eye.
In the U.S., there were an estimated 2.7 million cataract surgical procedures performed in 2003. The worldwide cataract surgery market is estimated to be approximately 14.4 million procedures annually. In many developing countries, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness.
The Glaucoma Market
Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the United States, accounting for >11% of all cases of blindness in the country. The various glaucomas are estimated to affect >2.2 million individuals in the United States who are >40 years old with primary open angle glaucoma, the most common form. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans, and African-Americans are three to five times more likely to have the disease than Caucasians.
Glaucoma is most often controlled, but never cured by daily use of eye drops. The problem which exists, however, is that relatively symptom-free ophthalmic disease states such as glaucoma suffer ridiculously high rates of medication regimen non-compliance. In fact, a recent study showed that nearly one-half of the individuals who had filled a glaucoma prescription discontinued that topical therapy after only six months.
The market for glaucoma products is huge as evidenced by a study which determined that in the year 2010 there will be 60.5 million people with glaucoma worldwide, and that number will increase to nearly 80 million by 2020.
The Age Related Macular degeneration Market
Age related Macular degeneration (AMD) is a very complex pathobiologic process involving several factors which produce some loss in central vision despite treatment intervention. The significance of AMD to global vision cannot be underestimated. The prevalence of AMD is reported to increase from 1% at age 55 to 15% at age 80. The loss of vision creates a large quality of life issue as measured by the inability to read a newspaper or a magazine, or to drive or to see their friends facial expressions. These patients find their lives devastated by this disease.
Ophthalmologists frequently have had to explain the lack of satisfactory treatment to their patients, as this disease has become the leading cause of blindness in patients over 55 years of age.
Advanced Refractive Technologies
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San Clemente, California 92673
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