The University of Miami Miller School of Medicince's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute & Department of Neurology Collaborate to Offer NovaVision VRT.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- First Center to Combine Comprehensive Neurology and Neuro-Ophthalmology Diagnostics Treating Vision Loss Caused by Stroke or TBI 

NovaVision, Inc. today announced that the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have teamed to jointly offer NovaVision VRT(TM) Vision Restoration Therapy(TM) (VRT). This is the first time a comprehensive diagnostic program has been established with both neurology and neuro-ophthalmology clinical expertise to treat patients with visual field deficits caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

NovaVision VRT is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive medical device that can help restore vision lost as a result of stroke or TBI, a condition previously considered untreatable. While speech, physical and occupational therapies are the long-standing treatment regimens for stroke and brain trauma patients, VRT is the first FDA-cleared clinical application of rehabilitation for vision loss.

In March 2004, Jose G. Romano, M.D. assistant professor of clinical neurology at the Miller School of Medicine became the first physician in the United States to offer NovaVision VRT to patients. Shortly thereafter Byron L. Lam, M.D. neuro-ophthalmologist and professor of ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute also began offering NovaVision VRT to patients. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is ranked the #1 eye hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

"The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Department of Neurology at the UM Miller School of Medicine have invaluable clinical experience applying NovaVision VRT to improve visual field deficits caused by stroke and TBI," said NovaVision President and CEO Navroze Mehta. "NovaVision is pleased to continue working closely with Dr. Romano and Dr. Lam. We are excited about the opportunities that come with a collaboration of clinical expertise for their VRT patients."

Advancing Clinical Applications of Neuroplasticity

The need for a rehabilitative therapy like VRT is substantial. An estimated 4.8 million people have survived a stroke (American Heart Association, 2004 Update), and at least 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from TBI (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2004). Approximately 1.5 million stroke and TBI patients in the United States suffer from major visual field deficits, and that number grows by more than 90,000 new patients each year. To date, more than 1000 patients have been treated with VRT and clinical results are positive. Data from a recent retrospective study show more than 65 percent of patients who underwent VRT for the initial six-month treatment period demonstrated measurable improvements in their vision.

"The results of offering NovaVision VRT to patients over the last two years has been gratifying," says Dr. Romano. "For decades, it was thought visual field deficits of this kind were untreatable, but a new understanding of brain function demonstrates that this is not the case. Close collaboration with an eye center of excellence such as Bascom Palmer will help even more patients benefit from VRT."

NovaVision VRT is based on the principle of neuroplasticity--the ability of partially damaged neurons in the brain to compensate for injury and adjust their activity in response to stimulation from the environment. After stroke or TBI, a zone of residual vision exists between regions within the brain's vision-processing areas. Within this zone, there are areas that can be improved using precise patterns of stimulation.

"A visual field deficit caused by a stroke or TBI can severely impact a patient's quality of life making it difficult or impossible to read or move with confidence. NovaVision VRT offers the possibility of partial visual field expansion in some patients." An improved visual field may help the patient with daily activities such as reading, but the extent of visual field expansion is usually not sufficient to help the patient meet driving visual requirements," said Dr. Lam.

Following a clinical assessment and diagnosis, treatment is conducted in the comfort of the patient's home with the use of a NovaVision VRT medical device. The patient performs a customized therapy which displays stimuli on the screen in the area identified during diagnostic that shows potential for recovery. The patient responds to the stimuli while focusing on the fixation point displayed. Repeated exposure to these stimuli over an initial treatment period of approximately six to seven months may result in an expansion of visual field, with some patients showing improvements within a few months of beginning therapy.

For more information about NovaVision VRT at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Department of Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine please visit www.novavision.com or call 888.205.0800. For patient appointments, please call the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at 305-326-6021. An appointment at Bascom Palmer will include a neuro-ophthalmic examination by Dr. Lam and a neurological examination by Dr. Romano.

About NovaVision, Inc.

NovaVision VRT(TM) Vision Restoration Therapy(TM) (VRT) is based on groundbreaking research in neuroplasticity. VRT is an FDA-cleared, patented, non-invasive medical device that may restore vision in stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with visual deficits. While speech, physical and occupational therapy are the long-standing, mainstream treatment regimens for stroke and TBI patients, VRT is the first FDA-cleared clinical application of rehabilitation for vision loss. NovaVision, Inc. develops and distributes VRT.

NovaVision, Inc. is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida with European offices that include clinics and research and development in Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. VRT is based on 15 years of research with clinical studies published in leading journals including Nature Medicine, Neurology, and The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Data from a recent retrospective study identified that more than 65 percent of patients who underwent VRT for an initial six-month treatment period showed measurable improvements in their vision. VRT is currently offered at 19 leading medical institutions and private practices nationwide including Columbia University Medical Center's Neurological Institute of New York, Emory Healthcare Eye Center, The Rusk Institute, Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute--University of Miami Vision Restoration Clinic and others. For more information and complete list of NovaVision VRT clinics please visit www.novavision.com or call 888.205.0800.