NIDEK Excimer Laser Receives Sales Approval in Japan
-Gamagori, JAPAN, January 28, 2000-
NIDEK, Co., Ltd. announced today that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) has granted sales approval in Japan for the company's EC-5000 refractive laser system for PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) to correct refractive errors such as myopia and astigmatism.
The Excimer laser uses argon and fluorine gas to emit a wavelength of 193 nanometers, and meticulously sculpts the corneal surface using the process called "ablative photodecomposition," which breaks the molecular bonds by using laser energy. The NIDEK EC-5000 Corneal surgery system has been approved for PTK (Phototherapeutic Keratectomy) use in Japan since April 1998, and is now approved for PRK.
NIDEK has already exported over 500 units of EC-5000, and has also delivered 40 units domestically as PTK laser system. With this MHW approval for PRK use, the number of EC-5000 installations is expected to increase in the future.
In the United States, the number of excimer laser installed (all manufacturers' included) has doubled in 1 year, from 180 in 1998 to 365 in 1999. The total number of installations is expected to exceed 1000 units and the number of surgeries conducted could reach 1,550,000 cases in the year 2000.*
* Source: Market Scope, January 7, 2000
 Current U.S. Refractive Surgical Market
|
|
|
|
|
