FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2005--Alcon, Inc. (NYSE:ACL) announced today that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified its payment rules to present Medicare beneficiaries with the choice to receive presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs) that provide restoration of distance, near, and intermediate vision with less dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses following cataract surgery. See ruling at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/rulings/CMSR0501.pdf. Prior to the CMS ruling, limitations on Medicare payment prevented beneficiaries from choosing to purchase these lenses. Under the new policy, Medicare will continue existing reimbursement amounts for cataract surgery, and patients may elect to pay additional charges for advanced technology lenses such as the AcrySof(R) ReSTOR(R) Apodized Diffractive IOL.
