CRT Given Clinical Consideration For Patients Experiencing Eye Dryness or Lens Dehydration From Silicone Hydrogels.

MESA, ARIZONA (January 8, 2009) – Paragon Vision Sciences, Inc., the manufacturer of Paragon CRT®, reports today that certified CRT clinicians consider CRT as an alternative to soft contact lens materials that increase lens dehydration. In fact, CRT clinicians also view CRT as an emerging answer for prescribing contact lenses to patients diagnosed with dry eye syndrome. Wearing no contact lens at all during waking hours addresses functional issues associated with daytime contact lens wear, and many patients with low to moderate dry eye seem to do well wearing the CRT lenses during sleep.

Practitioners report accelerating use of Paragon CRT, therapeutic lenses for overnight corneal reshaping, for patients experiencing dry eye discomfort with soft contact lenses and for those patients that previously discontinued contact lens wear for similar problems. These anecdotal reports seem to suggest that CRT is a solution for many myopic patients who cannot wear traditional contact lenses during waking hours and, while CRT requires lens wear while the patient sleeps, patients awake to enjoy the crisp, clear vision once removing their CRT lenses. Because lenses are not worn during waking hours, CRT makes it possible for a dry eye patient to see clearly and comfortably all day. Contact lens related discomfort is a growing segment of the marketplace and after nearly seven years since CRT received FDA approval, practitioners are recognizing the relative safety and benefits of overnight contact lens corneal reshaping.

Dr. Bruce Williams prescribes CRT as an alternative to eye dryness and discomfort. Dr. Williams commented;

“My CRT patients truly enjoy the daytime freedom from their old soft lenses. Most are astonished at how easy it is to wear CRT while they sleep and often comment on experiencing fewer dry eye symptoms as a result. Patients also comment about how nice it is to wake up in the middle of the night and see the clock clearly. Personally, I like the fact that my patients eyes have unobstructed access to oxygen for up to 16 hours a day and only wear their lenses for approximately 8 hours in a closed eye environment – especially with the super high Dk of Paragon’s HDS® 100 material”.

Practitioners report that they continue to prescribe various eye lubricants for use with CRT lenses, applying the drops at bedtime and upon awakening to provide increased comfort when placing the lenses on the eye and for addressing lens adherence upon waking. The Paragon CRT Diagnostic Dispensing System provides practitioners with the ultimate in patient and practitioner effectiveness and convenience when fitting overnight corneal reshaping lenses.

Paragon Vision Sciences has a history of innovation that spans four (4) decades with many “First” achievements in the contact lens industry including; the First to gain FDA approval for overnight corneal reshaping for myopia with and without astigmatism, the First to secure FDA approval for Plasma treatment of Paragon GP materials and the First to collaborate with NASA to conduct research on gas permeable materials aboard three space shuttle missions spanning almost 10 years. As a result, Paragon’s HDS® technology with the hyper-purified delivery system was used to launch the marketleading HDS® and HDS® 100 high oxygen permeable materials that are so widely prescribed today.

Paragon Vision Sciences is a privately held, specialty vision research, development and products company, located near Phoenix in Mesa, Arizona, owned and operated by Joe Sicari, President & CEO and members of his management team. Paragon is the manufacturer of world-renowned oxygen permeable contact lens materials including Paragon HDS®, Paragon HDS® 100, Paragon Thin, FluoroPerm®, and Paraperm® family of materials for a wide range of indications.

For more information about Paragon Vision Sciences GP materials or Paragon CRT® visit www.paragoncrt.com or call 1-800.528.8279×4618.