VisionCare Announces Presentations on Pivotal Trial Results at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting

    SARATOGA, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- VisionCare Ophthalmic
 Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced visual prosthetic devices for the
 treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), announced today three
 presentations related to its pivotal trial of the Implantable Miniature
 Telescope (IMTTM by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) are scheduled at the upcoming 109th
 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in Chicago, IL
 from October 15 - 18, 2005 at McCormick Place convention center. One-year
 safety and efficacy results from the Phase II/III prospective, multicenter AMD
 clinical trial are scheduled for presentation as follows:
 
     -- Friday, October 14, 11:28 - 11:36 a.m., Implantable Miniature Telescope
        Trial: A Visual Prosthetic Device for End-Stage AMD -- 12-Month Results
        from the IMT002 Trial. Paul Sternberg, Jr., MD.
        Session:  Retina Subspecialty Day, North Hall B1
 
     -- Sunday, October 16, 10:15 - 10:30 a.m., Implantable Miniature
        Telescope. Stephen S. Lane, MD.
        Session:  SPE 12 Vision Rehabilitation Program: Part I Technology and
        Techniques for Patients with Macular Degeneration, Room N135
 
     -- Tuesday, October 18, 3:20 - 3:27 p.m., One-Year Phase II/III Results of
        a Visual Prosthetic Device for the Treatment of Vision Loss Due to
        Macular Degeneration. Henry L. Hudson, MD.
        Session:  Retina Free Paper Session, Room S406a
 
     VisionCare also announced today that two-year follow-up, specified in the
 study protocol for long-term safety surveillance, is now complete. The trial
 is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Company's telescope prosthetic
 device in individuals with moderate to profound bilateral central vision
 impairment associated with end-stage AMD. The trial enrolled over 200 patients
 at 28 leading medical universities and ophthalmic centers across the country.
     The telescope prosthetic device is designed to be a permanent solution for
 moderate to profound vision loss due to AMD. Smaller than a pea, the telescope
 is implanted in one eye in an outpatient surgical procedure. In the implanted
 eye, the device renders enlarged central vision images over a wide area of the
 retina to improve central vision, while the non-operated eye provides
 peripheral vision for mobility and orientation.
 
     About Macular Degeneration
     Macular degeneration is a disorder of the central retina, or macula, which
 is responsible for detailed vision that controls important functional visual
 activities like reading, recognizing faces, and watching television. According
 to the National Eye Institute over 1.7 million Americans over age 50 suffer
 mild to profound vision loss from advanced AMD, which culminates as end-stage
 AMD. Approximately half of the individuals living with advanced AMD are
 affected in both eyes.
 
     About VisionCare
     VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Saratoga, CA is
 a privately-held company focused on development, manufacturing, and marketing
 of visual prosthetic devices. The Implantable Miniature Telescope was invented
 by company founders, Isaac Lipshitz, M.D. and Yossi Gross. Information on
 VisionCare can be found at www.visioncareinc.net.
 
 

SOURCE  VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc.