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New Bausch & Lomb Zyoptix® XP Microkeratome Produces
As Predictable and More Accurate LASIK Flaps as per Intended Thickness Than
Intralase® Femtosecond Device, Study Finds

Results of First Controlled, Contralateral Study Comparing New Microkeratome Technology vs. Intralase Presented at American Academy of Ophthalmology Conference

FOR RELEASE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2005

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Data presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Conference Oct. 15 in Chicago from the first head-to-head contralateral study¹ comparing the outcomes of the latest Bausch & Lomb microkeratome technology against the Intralase Femtosecond (FS) device show that the new Bausch & Lomb Zyoptix XP microkeratome:

Was statistically significantly more accurate with respect to intended flap thickness;
Produced on average thinner corneal flaps with respect to intended flap thickness;
Had a comparable standard deviation in flap thickness;
Demonstrated equivalent uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity under high- and low-light contrast conditions.

"The study findings strongly suggest that surgeons who use the Zyoptix XP microkeratome can expect to achieve a level of precision, predictability and outcomes that have been ascribed to the latest generation flap-creation technology," said lead investigator Hung Ming Lee, M.D., of the internationally renown Eye Institute at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

The prospective, randomized, controlled, contralateral eye study compared flap thickness as measured by both conventional ultrasound pachymetry and advanced optical coherence pachymetry (OCP). The study results, based on 100 eyes of 50 patients, showed:

The Zyoptix XP microkeratome achieved an average flap thickness more consistent with intended flap thickness of 120 microns, with a mean flap thickness 4 microns thinner as measured by ultrasound pachymetry (US) and 11 microns thinner as measured by advanced optical coherence pachymetry (OCP); whereas the Intralase device achieved a greater-than-intended flap thickness, on average thicker by 32 microns as measured by US, and 17 microns thicker as measured by OCP.
The Zyoptix XP microkeratome demonstrated greater accuracy in creating an intended flap thickness of 120 microns, producing a mean flap thickness of 116 microns as measured by US, compared to the Intralase device which produced a mean flap thickness of 152 microns using the same measurement technique.
The Zyoptix XP microkeratome and the Intralase device were equivalent in standard deviation in flap thickness, with the Zyoptix XP at 16.1 microns (US) and 14.4 microns (OCP), and the Intralase device at 16.2 microns (US) and 15.9 microns (OCP).
The Zyoptix XP microkeratome had an almost three-fold reduction in suction time duration and more than a seven-fold reduction in total surgery time compared to the Intralase device.
The Zyoptix XP microkeratome and the Intralase device were equivalent in uncorrected and best corrected refractive outcomes under high- and low-contrast conditions as measured at one month post-operatively; with 92% of the Zyoptix XP keratome-treated eyes measuring within +/-0.50D as compared to 87% of the Intralase -treated eyes.

"The results of this contralateral study have demonstrated that both technologies deliver excellent performance and precision, but more important to me, the visual outcomes are equivalent in both high- and low-contrast conditions," said Dr. Lee. "Having access to these technologies and others, I find that I use the Zyoptix XP microkeratome in about half of my cases."

Refractive surgeon Robert Maloney, M.D., of the Maloney Vision Institute in Los Angeles, added, "This study provides strong evidence that the new Zyoptix XP microkeratome is as precise and even more accurate in terms of flap thickness than the Intralase device."

Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products. The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Founded in 1853, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bausch & Lomb's 2004 revenues were $2.2 billion; it employs approximately 12,400 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com . Copyright Bausch & Lomb Incorporated.

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¹Data on file, Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, N.Y.