Lumenis Ltd. and Renowned Wills Eye Institute Collaborate to Advance Glaucoma Research and Expand Care to Philadelphia's Most Underserved Populations

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - February 26, 2013) -

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Wills Eye Institute

Lumenis Ltd., the world's largest medical laser company for ophthalmic, aesthetic, and surgical applications, and the pioneer of SLT technology, announced a collaboration with the Wills Eye Institute, Glaucoma Research Center, in Philadelphia to provide access to glaucoma treatment using the Selecta® Duet™ SLT Laser system to Philadelphia's underserved populations. The Wills Eye Institute will bring the gold standard in glaucoma Laser care to patients around the city to improve eye care for individuals who suffer from this debilitating condition via a mobile unit and will collect epidemiological data with the goal of analyzing the impact of early treatment on disease progression.

Glaucoma is a group of ocular disorders that shares a distinct type of optic nerve damage that leads to the loss of visual function and even blindness. Glaucoma is also a major global health problem and the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. The prevalence of glaucoma is increasing, causing a significant burden on economies of both developed and emerging countries. Risk factors for glaucoma include advanced age (aged 60+ years), family history of glaucoma, diabetes, and being African-American over the age of 50 and of Hispanic or Asian ethnicity over the age of 60.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is clinically proven to treat glaucoma by safely and efficaciously reducing intraocular pressure during a short office procedure. SLT technology was pioneered and introduced to the medical market by Lumenis in 2001, based on the scientific and clinical work of Mark Latina, MD et. al. It is a safe and non-invasive in-office procedure that effectively reduces eye pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma -- the most common form of glaucoma.

The SLT procedure improves and enhances trabecular outflow. Lumenis SLT technology utilizes an advanced non-thermal energy beam that selectively targets specific melanin-containing cells within the angle of the anterior chamber of the eye. This produces an enhanced biological response that leads to intraocular pressure reduction shortly after the treatment is performed.

"We are especially excited about partnering with Lumenis, the company that pioneered SLT, as this unique technology offers many advantages that make it appealing to our clinical work. The Selecta Duet SLT laser, kindly provided by Lumenis, incorporates a Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG Laser, operating at 532 nm wavelength and emitting at a 3 nanosecond pulse duration -- which means it only targets pigmented trabecular meshwork cells and does not cause any collateral thermal injury to adjacent tissue," said Dr. Jay Katz, Glaucoma Service Chief at the Wills Eye Institute. "SLT offers patients an attractive alternative to medical therapy or as an adjunct to drug treatment," Dr. Katz added.

Scientific and clinical data collected over a period of more than a decade clearly demonstrate that SLT is effective at reducing intraocular pressure and halting further progression of glaucoma. "We are proud to collaborate with Wills Eye Glaucoma Research Center in this program to prevent unnecessary glaucoma blindness," said Kfir Azoulay, Vice President & General Manager of the Lumenis Ophthalmology Business Unit. "SLT offers open-angle glaucoma patients the benefit of a clinically proven non-invasive treatment that can halt the progression of the disease and maintain vision. Furthermore, SLT also simultaneously eliminates or significantly reduces dependency on daily intake of costly medications, which also produce detrimental side effects," concluded Mr. Azoulay.

About Lumenis
Lumenis Ltd., the world's largest medical laser company, is a global developer, manufacturer and distributor of laser and light-based devices for Aesthetic, Surgical and Ophthalmic applications, and has more than 900 employees worldwide. Lumenis holds approximately 250 patents, has over 75 FDA clearances, an installed base of over 80,000 systems and presence in over 100 countries. Lumenis endeavours to bring the finest state of the art technology products to the market, fulfilling the highest standards of excellence, quality and reliability, delivering premium value and service to its customers. The name Lumenis is derived from the Latin words meaning "Light of Life" highlighting the light which is the basis of our technologies used to enhance life. For more information about Lumenis and its products, please visit: www.lumenis.com

About Wills Eye Institute

Wills Eye Institute was established in 1832 as the nation's first eye hospital and has grown into one of the world's premier eye care facilities. Our clinical expertise, state-of-the-art diagnostic testing and advanced surgical capabilities make Wills Eye a worldwide referral center where more than 250,000 patients are treated annually. Today, we continue to shape the science and medicine of ophthalmology, thanks to our talented, skilled physicians and staff who are dedicated to improving and preserving sight.

For more information about the Wills Eye Institute, please visit: www.willseye.org