11 May 2015, Muscat

A revolutionary technological device that helps correct vision loss linked to presbyopia - an age-related loss of vision - has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it had received CE Mark approval in the European Union in 2005.

Endorsement of the KAMRA Inlay by the world's premier regulatory authority offers assurance of the unprecedented safety and immense benefits that presbyopic sufferers can now enjoy through the use of this corrective eye-care procedure.

The announcement has been warmly welcomed by Muscat Eye Laser Center, the leading private eye-care clinic in the Sultanate, which has long championed the use of the KAMRA Inlay procedure as the surgical solution of choice to treat presbyopic patients in Oman.

"KAMRA Vision technology has enabled our Center to provide patients with the proven solution to restore everyday near vision. The FDA approval reiterates the value and importance of KAMRA Inlay that allows for a lifestyle free of the inconvenience of glasses or contact lens," said Dr. Maria Clara Arbelaez, Medical Director, Muscat Eye Laser Center.

Presbyopia is a condition common after the age of 40 that limits the ability to focus on near objects or reading. While the use of glasses is a practical option, it is not an optimum solution as it can limit people in sports or other fields where a perfect or near perfect vision is required. Even for an average person, it can be exasperating to reach out for glasses every time you want to read small print be it the newspaper, menu card in a restaurant or messages on the mobile phone.

The KAMRA inlay is an intra corneal inlay that is designed to create a small aperture effect, allowing the eye to see near and intermediate objects more clearly while maintaining distance vision. The device features 8,400 high precision, laser etched micro-openings along the surface to keep the cornea healthy. The KAMRA inlay, implanted in the cornea in a pocket or under a flap created by Femto Laser, improves the depth of focus of the eye thus allowing a clearer image of objects that would normally be out of focus. This procedure can also be combined with a LASIK (laser eye surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) treatment and can be conducted even after cataract and LASIK surgeries.

The FDA approval is a major advancement in the surgical correction of presbyopia in well over a decade. It reiterates that patients do not need to accept compromises with regard to their vision at any age.

-Ends-

Jointly established by Sameer Al Awam and Dr. Maria Clara Arbelaez in April 2002, Muscat Eye Laser Center is Oman's foremost eye care center specialising in refractive surgery using advanced technology and procedures. Centrally located in Qurum, the Center has two fully equipped operating theatres, six consultation and meeting rooms, six diagnostic and four preparation rooms. As an ISO 9001:2008 certified facility, Muscat Eye Laser Center is committed to delivering exceptional clinical results with an unmatched degree of quality and safety. 

The specialist team is led by Dr. Maria Clara Arbelaez, a reputed corneal transplant and refractive surgeon from Colombia with over 20 years of experience in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. She has more than 60,000 successful eye surgeries to her credit - a feat that remains largely unsurpassed in ophthalmic circles in the region. For more information, visit the website www.muscateye.com

© Press Release 2015