1. The Facts About Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) : How It Can Change Your Life Presented by: Dr. Christopher R. Scheno, O.D. Optometric Physician 2848 Bellmore Avenue Bellmore, NY 11710 (516) 409-2020 http://www.drscheno.com

2. What is CRT?  CRT stands for Corneal Refractive Therapy  It is a non-surgical method of vision correction  Similar in concept to a dental retainer, CRT uses a retainer lens to gently reshape the corneal surface  The retainer is worn only during sleep  Daytime vision is excellent without the bother/risk of: Eyeglasses Contact Lenses Eye Surgery

3. How Does it Work?  The retainer lens exerts gentle pressure on the tear layers that cover the cornea  This results in a flattening of the cornea  Flatter Cornea = Lower Prescription = Better Vision  Similar principle to LASIK but CRT is REVERSIBLE and easily updateable if prescription changes  Studies suggest that CRT may slow progression of myopia (near-sightedness)  LASIK and other surgical procedures do nothing to halt progression and may destabilize the cornea

4. CRT v. LASIK CRT LASIK CRT LASIK Eliminates daytime glasses and contacts without surgery. Eliminates eyeglasses and contacts but requires a surgical procedure. Minimal to no complications as observed in FDA trials. Various complications that ranges from mild to severe as noted in FDA trials. Virtually painless, very well tolerated Can be accompanied by discomfort ranging from mild to significant; dry eye is a common complication post- operatively and can be short term or long term and often requires dry eye medications. No age restriction as per FDA trial data. Recommended to be done at 18 years of age or older. Fully reversible procedure. A permanent procedure (for better or worse). Can be simply refit if prescription changes to re-correct to 20/20. If prescription changes, more surgery, eyeglasses or contacts are needed to re-correct to 20/20. Can slow the progression of prescription changes. Does nothing to slow prescription changes.

5. Is There Much Discomfort?  Slight “awareness” is reported that rapidly disappears after the first or second week; no pain.  Furthermore, since the lenses are only worn before sleep, you will not be conscious for roughly 90% of your wear time.  If comfort is an issue, we prescribe a short course of “comfort drops” that smooth the adaptation process.  More than 8 out of 10 patients, end up finishing the prescribed treatment period

6. Are there Any Side Effects?  Some patients report mild irritation that is short lived. Most side effects could be eliminated by the physicians’ choice of good procedural candidates.  The entire procedure is REVERSIBLE. If treatment is stopped, vision returns to pre-procedural levels in 1 to 2 weeks depending on the original prescription.

7. Am I a Candidate for CRT?  Being a candidate or not is dependent on many factors. Dr. Scheno will recommend the vision correction choice (CRT, LASIK, Continuous wear contact lenses, etc.) which is best for your particular situation at the time of your CRT office consultation. Thank you for your kind attention! You were a great audience. We will now open the floor to questions!