>>Karen: I'M JOINED BY TWO
DOCTORS OF THE ATLANTIC EYE
INSTITUTE.
TODAY WE'RE DISCUSSING A NEW FDA
APPROVED PROCEDURE FOR
STRENGTHENING THE CORNEA CALLED
CORNEA CROSS LINKING.
IT'S A WAY TO ARREST THE DISEASE
AND THIS PARTICULAR DISEASE IS
CALLEDKERATONIS.
THANK YOU BOT FOR BEING HERE.
WHAT IS THE CONDITION?
>> IT'S A NON INFLAMMATORY
CONDITION OF THE CORNEA WHICH IS
THE CLEAR WINDOW.
THE CONDITION INVOLVES A
THINNING AND BULGING OF THE
CORNEA AND STARTS IN CHILDHOOD,
SOMETIMES ADOLESCENCE GOING ALL
THE WAY TO THE EARLY TEEN YEARS.
IT CAUSES A STRETCHING OF THE
CORNEA THAT DISTORTS VISION.
IT'S INCIDENCES BETWEEN ONE AND
500 AND ONE IN 20,000 DEPENDING
ON WHERE IT IS IN THE WORLD.
IT'S MORE COMMON IN THE CLIENTS
NEAR THE EQUATOR BUT IT'S ALSO
ASSOCIATED WITH EYE RUBBING AND
OTHER THINGS.
THE CONDITION CAN NOW BE
ARRESTED OR STOPPED BUT THE REAL
INTERESTING THING WE FOUND TODAY
IS WE HAVE NEW MEASUREMENTS OF
THE CORNEA THAT ARE LETTING US
DIAGNOSE THIS CONDITION EARLIER
AND EARLIER.
>>Karen: TELL US, DR. LANCASTER,
WHAT DO YOU SEE WITH PATIENTS?
I KNOW Y ALSO HAVE SOME
GRAPHICS THAT YOU CAN SHOW
PEOPLE AT HOME, TOO, TO HELP
EXPLAIN WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.
TELL US, YOU KNOW, WHAT Y SEE
IN PATIENTS.
>> WHEN WE DO COMPREHENSIVE EYE
EXAMINATIONS, WE HAVE DIFFERENT
INSTRUMENTS WE USE TO GIVE US
THE BEST MAPPING SKILLS, MAPPING
OF THE CORNEA.
YOUNG PEOPLE COME IN WITH
PROGRESSIVE CHANGES IN THEIR
PRESCRIPTION, A STIGMATISM MAY
BE FOUND AND THOSE ARE SUSPECTS
FOR POSSIBLE CAROTIN.
YOU CAN FIND OUT WHETHER A
PATIENT MAY BE DEVELOPING THE
CONDITION.
AND THEN WE SOLVE IT.
SOMETIMES BY USING CONTACT
LENSES WHICH I HAVE IN MY HAND
NOW, BUT THOSE OUR CHARGES
PROGRESS AT A RATE THAT CAN'T BE
CORRECTED OR ARRESTED.
THOSE PATIENTS MAY BE POTENTIAL
CANDIDATES FOR CORNEAL CROSS
LINKING.
>>Karen: YOU BROUGHT ALONG A
DEMONSTRATION MODEL IN AS WELL.
>> THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT THE
CORNEA IS THE CLEAR WINDOW OF
THE EYE.
WE LOOK AT EYES AND GO, BROWN,
BLUE OR GREEN?
YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH THE CLEAR
AREA OF THE CORNEA.
THE GRAPHIC YOU WERE SHOWING
SHOWS THE TREATMENT FOR THIS
CONDITION AND THE TREATMENTS FOR
THIS CONDITION IS REALLY NOT
SURGICAL.
WE BASICALLY HOLD THE EYE OPEN
AND EXPOSE THE EYE TO
RIBOFLAVIN, VITAMIN B2 AND THEN
EXPOSE THE EYE TO SHORT WAVE
LENGTHS ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT AS
YOU CAN SEE THERE.
>>Karen: WHAT'S THAT?
>> THAT'S THE CORNEAL CROSS
LINKS THEMSELVES AND THE LITTLE
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEM ARE THE
CROSS LINKS.
WHAT THIS DOES, IT STRENGTHENS
AND INCREASES THE NUMBER OF
CROSS LINKS TO MAKE THE CORNEA
MORE RESISTANT TO BULGING.
>>Karen: IT STRENGTHENS THAT.
>> STRENGTHENS THE CORNEA.
>>Karen: MAKES THEM THICKER?
>> NOT THICKER.
JUST STRONGER.
WE REALLY WANT TO STRESS THAT IN
YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE HISTORIES
OF ALLERGIES OR PROBLEMS WHERE
THEY RUB THEIR EYES, THIS
CONDITION CAN BE MUCH WORSE.
AND THIS PROCEDURE THAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT REALLY HAS
RAMIFICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE IN
OLDER POPULATIONS.
WE'RE NOT AT LIBERTY TO TALK
ABOUT THESE.
WE DO LASER PROCEDURES NOW THAT
ARE GUIDED ON THE CORNEA AND WE
CAN MAKE UP FOR IRREGULAR SPOTS
THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SOLVED.
BUT THESE PATIENTS, EARLY
PATIENTS, WE CAN IDENTIFY THE
PEOPLE YOUNGER AND WE CAN GET
PEOPLE BETTER VISION AND MAKE
PEOPLE WHO PREVIOUSLY WEREN'T
LASIK CANDIDATES MAKE THEM
CANDIDATES.
>>Karen: THAT'S GREAT.
WE HAVE ONE MINUTE LEFT.
THIS IS FDA APPROVED.
TELL US WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED IF
SOMEONE WANTS TO COME OUT AND
MAYBE SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THIS.
>> WE HAVE TWO LOCATIONS.
ONE ON THE BEACH.
WE HAVE ONE OFF UNIVERSITY ON
BENNETT ROAD AND TWO NIC
FACILITIES.
>>Karen: WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS
IN GENERAL BECAUSE IT IS A NEW
TECHNIQUE, HOW DOES IT PRESENT?
YOU SAID IT CA GET DISTORTED.
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
PEOPLE COME IN NOTICING A GLARE,
SOMETIMES HALOS AROUND LIGHTS,
SOMETIMES A VISUAL STATIC.
I MENTIONED EARLIER, PROGRESSIVE
VISUAL CHANGES, CHANGES IN
GLASSES ANNUALLY THAT ARE KIND
OF IRREGULA
MORE A STIGMATISM.
THOSE ARE POTENTIALLY SYMPTOMS.
>>Karen: THERE YOU HAVE IT.
I CAN SEE THE BULGING ON ONE EYE
AND THEN THAT'S THE NORMAL.
WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
DID YOU A FANTASTIC JOB
EXPLAINING IT.
MAYBE I'LL COME SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>>Karen: IF NOT FOR THIS,
SOMETHING ELSE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>>Karen: THANKS, GUYS.
BYE-BYE.
COMING UP NEXT, PLEXADERM, A WAY
TO ERASE YEARS OF AGE OFF YOUR
FACE.