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Intercoastal Medical Group's Neurology Division Now Offers NovaVision VRT to Treat Vision Loss Caused By Stroke & TBI

Posted on: Monday, 12 December 2005, 09:00 CST

NovaVision VRT(TM) Now Available at Intercoastal Neurology to Rehabilitate Vision Deficits Once Considered Untreatable

NovaVision, Inc. today announced Intercoastal Neurology, part of Intercoastal Medical Group, Inc. of Sarasota, Fla., now offers 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. 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.

Intercoastal Medical Group (IMG) is a professional association of 56 physicians in 14 specialties with six locations in Sarasota and Manatee counties. IMG physicians are board certified in each of their specialties and are staff members of both Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Doctor's Hospital of Sarasota.

"NovaVision is dedicated to expanding the accessibility of VRT to patients across the United States," said NovaVision President and CEO Navroze Mehta. "Working with leading regional medical groups like Intercoastal Neurology is essential to NovaVision's expansion of VRT, and enables NovaVision to offer VRT to patients at local, centralized locations that maintain the quality of care and prestige found at larger NovaVision Partner Clinic medical institutions."

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.

"Visual field deficits are not an uncommon physical outcome following a stroke or brain injury. If patients experienced a visual field deficit, beyond spontaneous improvement, there was no therapy to prescribe," said Intercoastal neurologist Mauricio Concha, MD. "By offering VRT, Intercoastal Neurology has a new form of therapy that may help these patients restore visual function and potentially improve their quality of life."

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 Intercoastal Neurology, 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 the NovaVision VRT clinic at Intercoastal Neurology please visit www.novavision.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 19 leading medical institutions and private practices nationwide including the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University Medical Center, The Department of Neurology University of Miami, Emory Healthcare Eye Center, The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute, and others. For more information and a complete list of NovaVision VRT clinics please visit www.novavision.com or call 888.205.0800.

Source: Business Wire

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