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Sharp HealthCare Joins Medical Centers Across the United States Offering NovaVision VRT

Posted on: Monday, 1 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

NovaVision, Inc. today announced Sharp HealthCare, an integrated, regional healthcare delivery system based in San Diego, will open the first California clinics to offer NovaVision VRT(TM) Vision Restoration Therapy(TM) (VRT). The clinics will be located at three Sharp HealthCare facilities serving stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients throughout California and the western United States: Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego, Calif.), Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa, Calif.).

VRT is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive medical device that can help restore vision lost as a result of stroke or TBI, a condition previously considered untreatable. While speech, physical and occupational therapies are the long-standing treatment regimens for stroke and brain trauma patients, VRT is the first FDA-cleared clinical application of rehabilitation for vision loss.

"In the last year, NovaVision has worked with leading medical institutions across the United States to open new VRT clinics and expand access to the therapy," said NovaVision President and CEO Navroze Mehta. "Sharp HealthCare is the first organization offering VRT to California patients. With its talented medical staff and state-of-the-art rehabilitation facilities, Sharp HealthCare is an ideal partner to help improve the quality of life for patients suffering vision impairment caused by stroke and TBI throughout the west coast."

Developing the Fourth Pillar 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 patients 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 demonstrated 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 diagnosis at one of the Sharp HealthCare VRT clinics, 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 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 Sharp Healthcare's three NovaVision VRT clinics 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; Washington County Health System, Hagerstown, MD; and now the three Sharp Healthcare clinics. For more information about NovaVision VRT please visit www.novavisiontherapy.com or call 888.205.0800

Source: Business Wire

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