In the News

Vision researcher Michael Stryker to receive Pepose Award from Brandeis

Published By: Brandeis University | March 14, 2012

University of California, San Francisco professor Michael Stryker, whose laboratory has conducted pioneering research into the development and plasticity of the visual system, will receive the Jay Pepose ’75 Award in Vision Sciences from Brandeis.

The Pepose Award is funded by a $1 million endowment established in 2009 through a gift from Brandeis graduates Jay Pepose ’75, MA ’75 and Susan K. Feigenbaum ’74, his wife. The endowment also supports graduate research fellowships in vision science.

Stryker, the W.F. Ganong Professor of Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, will receive the award and deliver a public lecture at 3:45 p.m. on March 12 in Gerstenzang 121. The title of his talk is “Rewiring the Brain: Mechanisms of Competition and Recovery of Function in the Mammalian Cortex.” Stryker will be introduced by Brandeis biology professor Gina Turrigiano.

Stryker’s lab conducts research into the mechanisms responsible for the development and plasticity of precise connections within the central nervous system, particularly the role of neural activity in this process. Most of the lab’s work is on the visual cortex of the mouse. Through the years, the lab’s results have been published in more than 20 scientific journals.

Stryker is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science. He is a past winner of the National Eye Institute’s M.E.R.I.T. Award and Columbia University’s W. Alden Spencer Award. Since 1981, he has received funding from the National Institutes of Health to pursue research into the development and plasticity of the visual system.

“Dr. Stryker’s work on development and plasticity of the visual pathways has important implications for the potential treatment of a number of ophthalmic and neurological disorders, and also has relevance to our overall understanding of perceptual learning,” Pepose said. “I am pleased that he will be giving the lecture and look forward to learning more about his findings.”

Past winners of the Pepose Award include Peter Schiller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Jay and Maureen Neitz, University of Washington. Schiller served as Stryker’s doctoral supervisor at MIT while he was pursuing his PhD in psychology and brain science from 1970-75.

Pepose is the founder and medical director of the Pepose Vision Institute in St. Louis and a professor of clinical ophthalmology at Washington University. He was part of the inaugural class of fellows inducted into the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in 2009. While a student at Brandeis, he worked closely with John Lisman, the Zalman Abraham Kekst Chair in Neuroscience and professor of biology.

Doctors receive national honor

Published By: St. Louis Post Dispatch | November 9, 2011

Dr. Jay S. Pepose and Dr. Nancy M. Holekamp were among about 1,100 ophthalmologists nationwide to be chosen to the U.S. News Top Doctors list. They both practice in Chesterfield and in South County.

Pepose, medical director of Pepose Vision Institute, is in the top 1 percent in the nation in the field of Lasik vision correction and cataract surgery. He is a professor of clinical ophthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Holekamp, director of retina services at Pepose Vision Institute, is in the top 10 percent in the nation in ophthalmology. She is an expert in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular occlusion and retinal surgery. She is a professor of clinical ophthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine.

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http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/life/article_9eb91a39-cca7-506a-af65-b4c8438f509b.html#ixzz1dEpSLCDE

Eye doctor performs free surgery for first responders

Published By: KSDK | September 9, 2011

By Casey Nolen

Chesterfield, MO (KSDK) – The attacks of 10 years ago have inspired many to give back to their community, and to those who protect their community.

One program started by a relatively high profile eye doctor is quietly improving the lives of those who are often called upon to risk their lives.

Ten years ago Chris Fitch and his fellow fire fighters from Cahokia answered the call for help in New York City, digging through the rubble the day after the attacks.

“Total destruction. Seeing torn down buildings. The smell. Never forget the smell,” said Fitch.

While Fitch and hundreds of first responders searched for survivors, Dr. Jay Pepose was thinking of how he could help.

Within a couple of months, he began offering his skills for free.

Partnering with a clinic run by the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Pepose Vision provides free Lasik eye surgery for first responders in the Metro East. A service that’s more than a convenience for this fire fighter turned sheriff’s deputy.

“If I’m there and have to tussle with a suspect and my glasses get knocked off, I’m wide open. I’m not going to see a punch coming. I’m not going to see anything coming,” said Fitch.

Chris is not the only first responder to have his vision corrected under this program.

The doctor estimates his office has performed close to 1000 free surgeries for first responders.

“You know I work for the city so a couple thousand dollars for Lasik surgery isn’t necessarily in the budget all the time,” said Fitch. “It’s like I have my glasses on.”

Tomorrow he’ll be able to drive on his own.

Eye sight to match a clear sense of purpose helping others.

“I feel like it’s the least we can do for what they’re doing for us every day,” said Pepose.

KSDK

View the Story on KSDK.com

St. Louis reaches out to help Joplin

Published By: KSDK | May 26, 2011

Chesterfield, MO- (KSDK) You may not be able to jump in your car and head to Joplin, but NewsChannel 5 is learning about several other ways you can make a difference for the residents there.

So many people are saying they’ve been moved by the images coming out of Joplin, that they just had to do something and we found a few creative ways you can help with the cause.

What a difference a day makes.

Monday night, we introduced you to Aaron Laxton, who said he just wanted to help his neighbors in Joplin. The goal was to fill up two moving trucks with supplies.

“People are driving by asking me what they need to get. They would go into the store. I’ve seen people spend hundreds of dollars bring it back and donate it,” says Laxton.

Laxton says to his surprise, the St. Louis community flooded a south city parking lot with so many donations, that three trucks have already been filled and sent to Joplin. He’s now working to fill a tractor trailer that was donated.

“This is not surprising. St. Louisans and people, if you give them the chance to do the right thing, people want to help,” says Laxton.

Doctor Jay Pepose is throwing out another option for those looking for a way to help. For the next week he’s collecting glasses, unexpired contacts, fresh solution, and eye drops to send to Joplin residents.

“With tornadoes, often times you get eye injuries people get tattooed with things flying in the air, and also they lose their glasses, contact lenses. If you’re highly near sighted or far sighted, that could be a functional problem,” says Dr. Pepose.

The items can be dropped off at either of the two Pepose Vision Institutes in Chesterfield or South St. Louis County.

Doctor Pepose says he’s working with the Salvation Army to get the items delivered. Also accepting donations for Joplin are five St. Louis area malls.

CBL Properties has already set-up these collection bins at Chesterfield, Mid Rivers, St. Clair Square, South County and West County Centers. They’re asking for things that children need.

“I personally can’t image not having diapers to put on my child. I can’t image my little girl going to be without her blanket or her favorite stuffed animal,” says Amber Westerson, Spokesperson for CBL Properties.

This drive runs through Memorial Day. The company says it plans to distribute donations at its Joplin location, North Park Mall.

“While the mall itself is operating, there are stores that are not operating, simply because either they don’t have employees or employees are unaccounted for,” says Westerson.

There are a number of other organizations collecting donations for Joplin resident and we’ve put a list together in the “Don’t Miss” section of this website

KSDK

Presby-OSCARS Symposium in Cannes, France on June 10 – 12, 2011.

Published By: Pepose Vision | May 24, 2011

Dr. Jay S. Pepose has been invited to speak at the inaugural Presby-OSCARS Symposium in Cannes, France on June 10 – 12, 2011. Dr. Pepose will be joining his colleagues for the first annual Presby-OSCARS (Ophthalmic Solutions in Cataract & Refractive Surgery) Symposium, to be held at the Majestic Barriére Hotel. The International Symposium features world leaders in the surgical treatment of presbyopia—the loss of near vision with aging.
Dr. Pepose, is one of 20 faculty members worldwide to be invited to present his pioneering research at the symposium. His presentations are on:
A Comparison of 3 FDA-Approved Presbyopia-Correcting Intraocular Lenses
The KAMRA Small Aperture Corneal Inlay for Treatment of Presbyopia
Elenza: Developing the First Electronic Intraocular Lens Implant
Dr. Pepose is a consultant to Elenza, Acufocus, Bausch & Lomb and Abbott Medical Optics.

Technology, demand drive laser- and lens-based presbyopia correction

Published By: Ocular Surgery News | February 22, 2011

The number of aging patients with presbyopia is expected to mushroom in

the coming years. But as they face the inevitable visual effects of aging,

these patients have a growing array of treatment options at their disposal.

New developments in technology spur innovations that enable cataract and

refractive surgeons to meet rising patient expectations. The symbiotic

relationship between growing demand for strong outcomes and available

treatments promises to persist for years to come.

An upsurge in presbyopic lens procedures is likely to continue as baby

boomers begin to turn 65 years old this year, Jay S. Pepose, MD, PhD, said.

“Just the absolute number of people in this age cohort is

staggering,” he said. “We’ve seen sustained growth in the

overall cataract patient population and in the patients choosing presbyopic

lenses.”

The economic downturn has had an adverse effect on laser vision

correction, Dr. Pepose said.

“The laser vision patients are generally younger than refractive

lens patients,” he said. “They have less financial means, less

discretionary income and probably a lot less savings than the older patients

who already put their kids through college and already paid off most or all of

their mortgages.”

Daniel S. Durrie, MD, OSN U.S. Edition Refractive Surgery Section

Editor, echoed Dr. Pepose’s observations.

“There doesn’t seem to have been any less interest from

patients in getting rid of reading glasses and bifocals,” Dr. Durrie said.

“There’s strong interest from the patients.”

Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, FACS, OSN U.S. Edition Cataract Surgery Board

Member, attributed surging demand to a growing acceptance of presbyopia

correction coupled with high expectations.

“Even as of 2 years ago, patients really did not have as great

expectations of freedom from glasses for all distances with cataract

surgery,” Dr. Davis said. “But now there is that expectation of not

only reduced dependence on glasses or contacts for distance vision but for near

vision as well.”

Growth in Europe and Asia

H. Burkhard Dick, MD, OSN Europe Edition Chairman of the Editorial

Board, works in a university setting that is a center of excellence for the

treatment of presbyopia in Germany.

“Patients come to us from far specifically for our expertise in

this field. As the various techniques become increasingly reliable, the number

of patients increases. There is a lot happening around presbyopia. Industries

are making huge investments, and the market is very hot,” he said.

Jorge L. Alió, MD, OSN Europe Edition Board Member, said that

presbyopia correction represents 25% of the total volume of surgical procedures

at the Vissum Institute in Alicante, Spain.

“We have now the return wave of so many patients who were implanted

with monofocal IOLs and want presbyopic treatments. They are mainly

professionals like doctors and lawyers and business people,” Dr.

Alió said.

In developing countries in Asia, the presbyopia surgery market is

growing at an even faster rate. An emerging middle class views refractive

surgery as a status symbol and a lifestyle choice, Cyres K. Mehta, MD, OSN

Asia-Pacific Edition Board Member, said.

“Young urban professionals who hit 40 do not want to be encumbered

with near glasses. They are mainly information technology professionals,

students and young entrepreneurs who spend many hours a day in front of a

computer screen,” Dr. Mehta said.

“Europe is a developed market where the penetration of presbyopic

LASIK is still percentage-wise higher, but I feel that in coming years the

action will be in China and India, due to the huge population and their growing

buying power,” he said.

Presbyopic LASIK

Monovision is the only viable LASIK option for correcting presbyopia,

Dr. Davis said.

“There are some multifocal ablations in development, but those

aren’t mainstream and there is risk of loss of best corrected visual

acuity and loss of contrast sensitivity that may be unacceptable in a good

number of cases,” she said.

Dr. Durrie also said monovision is the mainstay of presbyopic LASIK,

despite a growing interest in presbyLASIK.

In 2001, Alain Telandro, MD, a pioneer in LASIK presbyopia correction in

Cannes, developed a method of multi-zone presbyopic LASIK and helped design

Nidek PAC software for the Nidek 5000 laser. The idea was that creating a

progressive aspheric lens on the corneal surface would provide a flatter

optical zone in the center for distance vision and a progressive change of

curvature toward the periphery for intermediate and near vision.

In recent years, several excimer laser platforms have incorporated

presbyopic LASIK applications. With Schwind, Dr. Alió developed the

PresbyMax software using the Amaris platform. His presbyLASIK approach has a

central zone for near vision and periphery for distance vision.

“This technique is still in development. Over the last 4 years, we

have progressively upgraded the software. We are now at the third version, and

results are increasingly better. We use PresbyMax with any type of refraction,

from –7 D to +4 D, with astigmatism up to 2 D,” Dr. Alió said.

The aim is to compensate 2 D of presbyopia, equivalent to 3 D of an IOL.

The treatment is performed bilaterally, which makes 2 D sufficient to address

intermediate and advanced presbyopia.

PresbyMax is also used in Asia, particularly in India. For Dr. Mehta, it

is the procedure of choice for patients in the 40- to 49-year age range with no

evidence of cataract. He said that patients must be warned that distance vision

will be suboptimal for the first few months after surgery and that the near add

might decrease slightly over time.

“Also, I don’t perform it in patients who drive long distances

at night. It is definitely not the best option for night drivers in India, due

to the congested roads with oncoming headlights,” Dr. Mehta said.

Other laser platforms for presbyopia treatment include the Custom Q

module of the Allegretto Wave (Alcon), the laser blended vision procedure of

the Mel 80 (Carl Zeiss Meditec) and the CustomVue technology of Visx (Abbott

Medical Optics).

Despite positive reviews from some quarters, presbyLASIK is not ready

for prime time, Dr. Durrie said.

“There are some people who think it doesn’t work at all and

some people who think it’s great. I think it needs some scientific rigor

to do some clinical trials,” he said.

Dr. Durrie said a randomized prospective study comparing monovision with

presbyLASIK would be helpful.

Lenses

Dr. Pepose said there is utility in the Crystalens accommodating IOL

(Bausch + Lomb) with aspheric optics (AO). The Crystalens, which is also

available in HD and Five-0 versions, is the only accommodating IOL approved by

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“It’s more forgiving with regard to its defocus curve. …

If you don’t hit exactly emmetropia, if you’re off a quarter or half

a diopter, it doesn’t impact the vision as much,” Dr. Pepose said.

“The zero-aberration aspheric optics improve the image quality more than

the HD, which is a spherical lens.”

Dr. Pepose said he uses the Crystalens Five-0, which is available in

lower powers than the AO, in high myopes and in hyperopic LASIK patients with

high residual negative spherical aberration.

“I’m going to implant the lens that’s got a little bit of

plus spherical aberration to offset some of the negative spherical aberration

that results from hyperopic LASIK, if it was a really high treatment.

Otherwise, I’ll go with the Crystalens AO, even in my post-LASIK

patients,” Dr. Pepose said.

The accommodating dual-optic Synchrony IOL (AMO) has undergone phase 3

clinical trials, Dr. Pepose said.

Dr. Davis said she has a strong preference for the Tecnis multifocal IOL

(AMO).

“I’ve used all of them, and I feel it gives the highest

patient satisfaction, the greatest predictability and the best quality of

vision,” Dr. Davis said.

In patients older than 60 years, Dr. Alió performs refractive

lens exchange (RLE) or cataract surgery with implantation of a multifocal lens.

The lenses he uses are, in order of preference, the Lentis Mplus (Oculentis),

the Acri.Lisa and the toric Acri.Lisa (both Carl Zeiss Meditec). He also uses

the Crystalens and Synchrony in a minority of cases.

“I prefer multifocal rather than accommodative lenses because they

provide a wider range of correction,” he said. “As the technology

evolves, accommodative IOLs might eventually be the winners because they are a

more physiological concept, but for now the outcomes of multifocal IOLs are

better.”

Dr. Dick said he prefers accommodating lenses for his patients.

“The multifocal concept is definitely a compromise, and it’s

not my favorite solution. Photic phenomena cannot be avoided. They are inherent

to the system, and some patients accept them, some do not,” he said.

Of the 4,000 cataract patients who are annually treated in Dr.

Dick’s clinic, 5% to 8% are implanted with accommodating or multifocal

IOLs.

He offers multifocal lenses — the Tecnis one-piece and three-piece,

the ReZoom (AMO), the M-flex (Rayner), the ReSTOR (Alcon) and the Lentis Mplus

— to patients who want to be 100% spectacle independent.

“With accommodative lenses, patients should know they might need a

little add for near tasks like reading books. However, they are perfect for

those who want to be spectacle independent for computer work rather than

reading,” he said.

Dr. Dick said the Synchrony has a low posterior capsule opacification

rate and relatively high accommodative amplitude. The Crystalens requires a

2.2-mm clear corneal incision but offers slightly less accommodation than

required.

“Both lenses have weaknesses and strength. With the Synchrony, PCO

rate is very low and you can achieve an accommodative amplitude of 1.75

D,” he said. “I have implanted about 130 of these lenses, and

patients are extremely satisfied. Certainly it is quite a bulky IOL that needs

a fairly large 3.6- to 3.8-mm incision, mandatorily posterior or sclerocorneal,

if you want to avoid astigmatism. The Crystalens needs a smaller 2.2-mm

incision in clear cornea, but accommodation is slightly less and some patients

need a near add.”

Monovision LASIK is his alternative for patients with a clear lens and

low ametropia. With more than +3 D, RLE is better because high hyperopes are

good candidates for RLE and bad candidates for LASIK, Dr. Dick said.

Because of the amount of sunlight exposure in India, early cataract

occurring around the age of 50 years is common, Dr. Mehta said.

“I offer multifocal lenses to all these patients. I also perform

RLE in patients with a clear lens who are not good candidates for corneal laser

surgery, like night drivers. My favorite lenses for this subgroup of patients

are the diffractive ReSTOR +3 D and the new generation of refractive

multifocals from Rayner,” he said.

Intrastromal correction and inlays

The IntraCor procedure provides flapless intrastromal correction using

the Femtec femtosecond laser (Technolas Perfect Vision) to reshape the cornea

without affecting the surface. The refractive power of the cornea is locally

changed, leading to significantly improved near vision and good intermediate

vision with a little sacrifice of distance vision.

Emmetropic patients who desire independence from reading spectacles at

the onset of presbyopia are eligible for corneal inlays.

The Kamra inlay (AcuFocus) is an opaque micro-disc with a circular

aperture in the center, exploiting the pinhole effect to increase depth of

field.

The inlay has shown some promise, particularly in combination with

LASIK, Dr. Pepose said.

Patients are targeted to a small amount of monovision.

“With the inlay blocking unfocused light, they’re getting very

good distance and very good near,” Dr. Pepose said. “I think that it

represents a most promising technology. It would also be interesting to see if

that same type of small-aperture design could be applied in other ways, not

just at the cornea, but also if it could be coupled with the lens

implant.”

Dr. Dick uses the Kamra inlay in a select minority of emmetropic

presbyopes.

“I use the femtolaser and a special mask to implant the device into

the cornea at a depth of about 220 µm. For cosmetic reasons, I use it

only in patients with brown eyes, and results are very good,” he said.

Other inlays currently being investigated are the InVue (BioVision) and

the PresbyLens (ReVision Optics).

Into the future

Dr. Davis said she envisions presbyopia correction becoming a standard

component of cataract surgery.

“I think there will come a time where it’s pretty much the

norm and standard of care, that when a patient undergoes a surgery, and if we

have the capability, that we correct their vision fully,” Dr. Davis said.

“The technology in this area is just improving exponentially.”

Dr. Durrie voiced a similar view.

“My feeling is that since it’s going to continue to grow

significantly in the next 10 to 20 years, it’s going to be something that

patients will be having done all the time,” he said.

Presbyopia is, to date, the refractive condition with the widest range

of treatment options. However, none of these options is entirely satisfying,

and all entail varying degrees of visual compromise.

“Multifocal implants cause photic phenomena and lead to a loss of

contrast sensitivity. Presbyopic LASIK strategies can lead to decreased

distance vision, and monovision leads to decrease in stereopsis. The ideal

strategy, I feel, will be refillable lenses or accommodating IOLs and probably

not a corneal solution,” Dr. Mehta said.

“There are techniques that seem promising in early trials, such as

the customized near add procedure with the Light Adjustable Lens (Calhoun

Vision), where a small add zone is written in the central part of the lens and

can be changed to adjust to the patient’s requirements before being locked

in,” Dr. Dick said. “The add-on lens technology is also interesting,

and there is a huge number of new lenses for presbyopia coming up. It’s

very impressive.”

An emerging accommodating lens, the NuLens, comprises a piston activated

by the ciliary muscles that pushes a flexible silicone gel through a small

hole, forming a bulge that acts as a lens.

The NuLens yielded positive visual outcomes and was well-tolerated,

according to a pilot study that Dr. Alió and colleagues published in the

Journal of Refractive Surgery.

Currently, the NuLens manufacturer is refining how the IOL is linked to

the accommodation and disaccommodation mechanism, Dr. Pepose said.

Emerging presbyopia correction techniques also include LaserACE, which

is designed to restore the natural mechanism of accommodation. A diamond

pattern of nine diamond-shaped full-thickness scleral ablations is made using

the VisioLite Er:YAG laser in four oblique-oriented quadrants of the anterior

part of the scleral wall to release the pressure and restore the flexibility of

the sclera. – by Michela Cimberle and Matt Hasson

Pepose Vision Institute Physicians Earn “Best Doctors” 2011-2012 Honor

Published By: Pepose Vision | February 16, 2011

Dr. Jay S. Pepose, Dr. Nancy Holekamp, and Dr. Mujtaba Qazi were again selected by their peers to be included in Best Doctors in America® 2010- 2011 and Best Doctor 2011 -2012 as three of the top eye specialists in the nation.  Nationwide experts polled were the more than 40,000 physicians, from 46 medical specialties and over 400 subspecialties, voting on others who are at the top of their field – with the utmost training, skills, and experience – Doctors choosing doctors.


Dr. Jay Pepose, Director of Pepose Vision Institute is Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes- Jewish Hospital.  He is a prolific contributor to numerous ophthalmology and research publications, and is an international guest lecturer and a consultant to ABC. He is a recipient of Top Doctors for the 18^th year.


Dr. Nancy Holekamp, Pepose Vision Institute Director of Vitreo-Retinal Disease and Center for Macular Degeneration, enjoys a national and international reputation as a leading expert in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular occlusion, as well as retinal surgery. She serves as Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine.


Dr. Mujtaba Qazi, Pepose Vision Institute Director of Clinical Studies servesas Instructor of Ophthalmology at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as well as a cornea and vision correction surgery Instructor at the University of Missouri – St. Louis School of Optometry. He is a board-certified subspecialist in the areas of cornea and vision correction surgery.  He is also a recipient of Who’s Who in Science and Engineering.



Pepose Vision Institute is St. Louis’ premier multi-specialty vision care practice: Center of Excellence for LASIK, Custom Cataract Surgery, Retina Services/Macular Degeneration, Dry Eyes, and preventive eye care, with the most experienced physicians, using the most advanced, innovative technologies to provide the best possible care to their patients…

Eye Movement

Published By: St. Louis Business Journal | December 31, 2010

Ophthalmologist Nancy Holekamp is making the leap from Barnes Retina Institute, where she was a partner, to Pepose Vision Institute as director of vitreo-retinal disease and its new Center for Macular Degeneration. Holekamp’s expertise includes macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal surgery. She completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University, her ophthalmology residency at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Retina Consultants Ltd., now the Barnes Retina Institute. Pepose Vision Institute, founded by Dr. Jay Pepose, opened its nearly $8 million outpatient surgery center at 1815 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield in 2007 and will open a new office at 13134 Tesson Ferry Road in South County in the first quarter.

Tiny ring being tested here could mean the end of reading glasses

Published By: KSDK | March 2, 2010

by Kay Quinn

KSDK — Like a cure for the common cold, fixing that blurry vision that hits around 40 has been a tough problem for medical science to solve. Until now; a procedure being tested right here could do away with reading glasses.

“I still am shocked sometimes that I’ll pick up my cell phone and I can really see who is calling me,” says Alyssa Wisdom, who recently volunteered to help test the AcuFocus Corneal Inlay. Delynn Klosterhoff is also leaving behind the reading glasses after she recently volunteered to help test this possible cure for presbyopia. It’s a tiny ring, just five microns thin. “It’s about a tenth of the thickness of a sheet of paper,” says Dr. Jay Pepose, of the Pepose Vision Institute, who is studying the effectiveness of the ring as part of an FDA study.

It works on the same premise as a pin-hole camera; the smaller the hole, the sharper the image. Dr. Pepose starts by making a pocket in the cornea of the non-dominant eye, using the same laser used in Lasik surgery. “We mechanically open the pocket and insert the inlay in the pocket right over the patient’s pupil,” says Dr. Pepose. It’s only put in one eye. And because it isn’t yet FDA approved, it’s only being put in carefully chosen candidates right now. “It’s a paradigm shift,” says Dr. Pepose. “I mean it really is a totally new approach to presbyopia.”

Side effects are said to be uncommon but they include dryness in the eye that was treated or losing a line or two of distance vision. Alyssa Wisdom had some discomfort after her inlay. “The improvement has not been consistent but it’s over time and now I’m doing exercises,” says Wisdom. But Delynn Klosterhoff says her vision improved almost immediately. She’s now getting used to not having to reach for her reading glasses. “You can read the price tags those little bitty price tags on the clothes and on items that are in the store and some of those are really small,” she says.


Candidates should be between 45 and 60, have good, uncorrected distance vision, are healthy and have never had eye surgery. And Dr. Pepose and his colleagues are already thinking to the next step. They want to test whether people who’ve had Lasik surgery to correct distance vision could be helped by AcuFocus.


For information on the AcuFocus study and other clinical trials underway at Pepose Vision Institute, call 636-728-0111.

Pepose, Feigenbaum establish $1 million endowment

Published By: Jewish Light | February 3, 2010

Dr. Jay Pepose and his wife, Susan K. Feigenbaum, recently funded a $1 million endowment for the couple’s alma mater, Brandeis University. The endowment supports graduate research fellowships in vision science and funds the Pepose Award in Vision Sciences.

Brandeis announced its inaugural Pepose Award has been awarded to Jay and Maureen Neitz, a husband-and-wife team whose pioneering research may lead to the use of gene therapy to treat vision disorders. The Neitzes are both faculty members in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Pepose is a professor of clinical ophthalmology at ashington University and the owner and medical director of the Pepose Vision Institute in St. Louis. Feigenbaum is an award-winning economics professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.“We thank Jay and Susan, whose gift to establish the Pepose Award in Vision Sciences has made it possible for Brandeis faculty and students to learn more about the Neitzes’ work,” said Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz.