• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Washington County Hospital Joins Active Centers Across the United States Offering NovaVision VRT to Treat Vision Loss Caused By Stroke & TBI

Posted on: Monday, 25 July 2005, 09:01 CDT

NovaVision VRT(TM) Now Available at Washington County Hospital to Rehabilitate Vision Deficits Once Considered Untreatable

NovaVision, Inc. announced today that Total Rehab Care, a department of Washington County Hospital (Hagerstown, MD), is the latest medical institution to offer patients its NovaVision VRT(TM) Vision Restoration Therapy(TM) (VRT). VRT is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive medical device that can help restore vision lost as a result of stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), a condition previously considered untreatable.

Tom Pianta, director of Health Management at Washington County Hospital, is pleased that the hospital can offer this therapy to patients. "At Washington County Hospital, we have been following the research done on this device for some time now, and we are proud to be among only 15 centers offering such cutting-edge technology to our community," he said.

"NovaVision is committed to improve the quality of life for patients across the country with visual impairment caused by stroke or TBI," said Navroze Mehta, president and chief executive officer of NovaVision, Inc. "It gives us great pleasure to welcome Washington County Hospital into the network of NovaVision clinics and to provide patients in western Maryland with access to VRT."

Washington County Hospital is a 236 licensed bed, acute care facility serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The hospital is served by 300 physicians representing over 30 sub-specialties. With more than 2,000 dedicated employees, Washington County Hospital is a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient medical care throughout the region. Total Rehab Care, a department of Washington County Hospital, provides a full range of rehabilitation programs: comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation services, inpatient joint replacement, and outpatient rehabilitation in addition to their comprehensive vision services. Total Rehab Care is certified to meet national rehabilitation standards by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Answering the Call for a New Method of Rehabilitation

The need for a rehabilitative therapy like VRT is substantial. An estimated 4.8 million people have survived a stroke (American Heart Association, 2004 Update), and at least 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from TBI (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2004). Approximately 1.5 million stroke and TBI victims in the United States suffer from major visual field deficits, and that number grows by more than 90,000 new patients each year.

To date, more than 800 patients have been treated with VRT and clinical results are positive. Data from a recent retrospective study show more than 65 percent of patients who underwent VRT for the initial six-month treatment period showed measurable improvements in their vision. VRT is based on the principle of neuroplasticity--the ability of partially damaged neurons in the brain to compensate for injury and adjust their activity in response to stimulation from the environment. After stroke or TBI, a zone of residual vision exists between regions within the brain's vision-processing areas. Within this zone, there are areas that can be improved using precise patterns of stimulation.

Following a clinical assessment and diagnostic testing at Total Rehab Care, VRT is conducted in the comfort of the patient's home with the use of a VRT medical device. The patient performs a customized therapy which displays stimuli on the screen in the area identified during diagnostic assessment that shows potential for recovery. The patient responds to the stimulus while focusing on the fixation point displayed. Repeated exposure to these stimuli over an initial treatment period of approximately six to seven months may activate neurons and help improve vision, with some patients showing improvements within a few months of beginning therapy.

For more information about the NovaVision VRT clinic at Total Rehab Care, please visit www.novavisiontherapy.com or call 888.205.0800.

About NovaVision, Inc.

NovaVision VRT(TM) Vision Restoration Therapy(TM) (VRT) is based on groundbreaking research in neuroplasticity. VRT is an FDA-cleared, patented, non-invasive medical device that may restore vision in stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with visual deficits. While speech, physical and occupational therapy are the long-standing, mainstream treatment regimens for stroke and TBI patients, VRT is the first FDA-cleared clinical application of rehabilitation for vision loss. NovaVision, Inc. develops and distributes VRT.

NovaVision, Inc. is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida with European offices that include clinics and research and development in Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. VRT is based on 15 years of research with clinical studies published in leading journals including Nature Medicine, Neurology, and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Data from a recent retrospective study identified that more than 65 percent of patients who underwent VRT for an initial six-month treatment period showed measurable improvements in their vision. VRT is currently offered at: Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami, Miami, FL; Columbia University Medical Center's Neurological Institute of NY, New York, NY; Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, FL; Emory Healthcare Eye Center, Atlanta, GA; Kresge Eye Institute at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; Richard H. Legge, M.D., Omaha, NE; The Rusk Institute, New York, NY; and now Washington County Hospital. For more information about NovaVision VRT please visit www.novavisiontherapy.com or call 888.205.0800.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category