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FOCUS: U.S. technology to improve nearsightedness gaining ground+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Feb. 21_(Kyodo) _ A U.S. technology that improves nearsightedness is catching on and undergoing clinical testing in Japan. The technology -- orthokeratology -- is designed to correct nearsightedness by keeping special contact lenses in the eyes while you sleep to change the shape of the cornea so that you can see clearly after you remove the lenses. The effect lasts for about a day or two. It has been used in the United States, Europe, China, South Korea and Taiwan because people can improve their vision without undergoing an operation. Some Japanese ophthalmologists are using it in clinical tests pending official approval. Eye specialists said guidelines on its application should be prepared to avoid any problems. Orthokeratology was developed in the United States during the 1960s, but Dr. Kenichi Yoshino, director of Yoshino Ophthalmologic Clinic, said the initially invented lenses were unusable. The third-generation lenses that came out in the 1990s with improvements in their oxygen permeability and shape became available for clinical testing. They were approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration in 2002. One method of correcting nearsightedness currently popular is an operation called Lasik, which reshapes the cornea using a laser. But the changes are permanent. Yoshino, whose clinic has handled 66 orthokeratology cases, has repeatedly examined his patients and had them insert the lenses before going to bed in an effort to choose the right ones. There are also great differences in the effect depending on the individual, and it tends to work better for people who do not have serious vision problems. The procedure costs about 150,000 yen to 300,000 yen in Japan because eye specialists must import the lenses themselves and hand out prescriptions. The national medical insurance system does not cover it. Yoshino said there have been cases of people suffering from a cornea infection after undergoing treatment by physicians not specialized in ophthalmology. He said orthokeratology is great solution for those who want to improve vision if it is handled appropriately. |