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New Vitamin Treatment Saves Patients (Including a U.S. Olympic Athlete) from Blinding Eye Disease Without Surgery

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 March 2009, 05:00 CST

LOS ANGELES, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Brian S. Boxer Wachler, MD, a world-renowned eye surgeon and the director of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, California, announced today that he has developed a new procedure that uses vitamin applications to treat Keratoconus, an often devastating condition that can lead to legal blindness in patients. Dr. Boxer Wachler's new treatment, C3-R(R) (corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin) is the first vision correction procedure to use vitamin treatments for Keratoconus, instead of invasive surgery, and it is now tested and available for patients.

The C3-R(R) procedure is non-invasive, painless, and takes only 30 minutes, according to Dr. Boxer Wachler. It strengthens the outer cornea layer of the eye that has been weakened by Keratoconus and prevents further progression of vision loss. The strengthening of the cornea occurs by the vitamin treatment increasing the supporting chemical bonds in the eye, a process called collagen cross-linking.

To perform the procedure, Dr. Boxer Wachler soaks the patient's eye with a riboflavin vitamin solution and then applies a diluted exposure of ultraviolet A light (500 times weaker than outdoor sunlight) to the cornea for 30 minutes. Dr. Boxer Wachler explained, "The light interacts with the vitamin drops to cause increased linkages across the weak cornea fibers of patients with Keratoconus." The effect is described by medical experts as being similar to adding steel reinforcement beams to a collapsing building, but doctors around the world are heralding the holistic nature of this innovative new treatment that uses natural vitamins and light to strengthen the walls of the cornea instead of an invasive surgical procedure.

A single treatment of C3-R(R) completely halts the disease in its tracks in 99% of cases according to studies done by Dr. Boxer Wachler and other doctors in Europe. The recovery time is only one day, and patients can normally resume 100% of their usual activities by the next day. After 5 years of study, there have been no side effects reported from this non-invasive procedure.

Notably U.S. Olympic Bobsled driver Steve Holcomb recently had his Keratoconus cured with Dr. Boxer Wachler's C3-R(R) treatment. Holcomb came to Dr. Boxer Wachler with the encouragement of his coaches who had researched the C3-R(R) treatment and believed it offered a cure for his Keratoconus. Prior to C3-R(R) treatment, Holcomb's Keratoconus was threatening to end his career as an Olympic athlete. Dr. Boxer Wachler performed both C3-R(R) and an insertable contact lens procedures on Holcomb. Holcomb observed that immediately after the procedures he was able to see things on the bobsled run that he had never been able to see before.

"As an Olympic Bobsled driver, my sight is crucial to my success," said Holcomb. "Dr. Boxer Wachler provided a pain-free, life-changing option. Now I can see clearly and I'll be able to continue my quest for Olympic Gold."

Good candidates for C3-R(R) range from being first diagnosed with Keratoconus to more advanced cases where C3-R(R) can be combined with other procedures such as corneal implants (Intacs) and insertable contact lenses (Visian ICL) to give maximum improvement.

More information about C3-R(R) and other procedures for Keratoconus is at www.KeratoconusInserts.com and www.FreeEyeSurgeryTips.com. Information about Dr. Boxer Wachler can be found at www.BoxerWachler.com. Images and illustrations of the C3-R(R) procedure are available to the media.

The Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, California was established in 2002 to provide leading-edge services in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of visual impairments. Founded with a commitment to quality patient care, in-depth research, and the latest, proven technological advancements, the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute offers safe, innovative and customized procedures to improve and restore vision.

Contact: Marie Hogan (310) 435-7533, marie@boxerwachler.com

SOURCE Dr. Brian S. Boxer Wachler, MD

Source: PR Newswire

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