Leading non-laser refractive procedure makes its Denver and Colorado Springs debut

Thousands of Denver and Colorado Springs residents who are sick of their reading glasses will welcome the introduction of conductive keratoplasty (CK) to the Denver market. "Busy professionals hate the hassle of reading glasses," said ophthalmologist Paul Cutarelli, M.D. "CK turns back the clock on aging eyes."

Although more than 50,000 CK procedures have been performed since the system was approved, the procedure is just now making its way into Denver and Colorado Springs.

Refractec's proprietary ViewPoint CK System is the first and only vision technology approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the millions of baby boomers with presbyopia. Greek for "aging eyes," presbyopia is the nation's most prevalent eye condition that sets in soon after age 40, making it difficult to read and see things up close.

CK is performed using a probe thinner than a strand of hair that releases radiofrequency energy. Applied to the cornea in a circular pattern, the radio waves shrink small areas of collagen to create a constrictive band (like the tightening of a belt) that increases the curvature of the cornea, bringing near vision back into focus. CK is performed by an ophthalmologist as an in-office procedure. The results are immediate.

CK results in a temporary improvement of near vision for those who need reading glasses and bifocals.

CK may soon be approved for those who’ve had LASIK
The FDA has granted Refractec approval for a phase-three clinical trial to study CK’s ability to improve near vision in patients who previously had LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) surgery. Approximately 4.8 million people in the United States have undergone LASIK surgery since 1997. At an average age of 42 years, nearly 44 percent of them are now presbyopic and face the frustration of wearing glasses once again.

About Paul Cutarelli, M.D.
Paul E. Cutarelli, M.D., is one of the most experienced LASIK and vision correction specialists in the United States. He has performed most of his more than 40,000 LASIK and LASEK procedures in Colorado, and is among the first to perform epiLASIK and CK in Denver. He is one of only a handful of surgeons to have completed a full one-year training fellowship in refractive surgery, as well as a fellowship in corneal surgery. He has served as co-investigator on more than 15 clinical trials for refractive surgery and presbyopia.

To view or film a CK procedure, please contact Mary Theobald at 816-331-5191.