Piercing the darkness

Elia Powers

November 2003 was a defining month in Dr. Gregg Feinerman’s

ophthalmology career.

That’s when the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of

Crystalens, a flexible intraocular lens that allows patients to

improve their near and distance vision with decreased dependence on

glasses.

Feinerman, based primarily in Newport Beach, started using the

lens in optical surgeries on the day the FDA gave its OK. And he

became the first Orange County ophthalmologist certified to operate

using the lens after the approval.

While Feinerman said the procedure is designed for people ages 45

to 65, one of his most notable patients fell well outside that age

bracket.

Deaf since age 2 and legally blind in his right eye, Long Beach

resident Leslie Noakes, 92, was close to losing vision in his left

eye when his family began searching for solutions this winter.

In February, they decided to bring Noakes to Feinerman’s surgery

center in Irvine for the Crystalens procedure.

“For a period of time he couldn’t read or see well outside,” said

daughter Marti Noakes. “Now, everything is bright and clear and he

can enjoy reading.

“Being deaf wasn’t a handicap for him,” she added. “The problem

was he couldn’t see. He is able to read lips again, which makes

communication 100% easier.”

Eyeonics Inc., the Aliso Viejo-based company that developed

Crystalens, donated the $1,000 lens for Noakes’ procedure after

hearing of his condition. The entire operation normally costs $5,000

per eye, Feinerman said.

Sixteen months after he began using Crystalens, Feinerman said

about 70% of his business now comes from patients wanting the

procedure.

That included Irvine resident Regina Kaplan.

Kaplan, 61, began to have trouble reading freeway signs and small

news print. She had the beginning stages of cataracts and didn’t want

to wait until her vision was beyond repair.

So in early February, she underwent surgery on both eyes.

“My world was closing in,” said Kaplan, whose vision is now 20/15.

“Now I’m able to read the newspaper and see labels on the back of

cans.”

Feinerman, who completed his ophthalmology training at UC Irvine

and founded a vision center bearing his name, is one of 170 surgeons

in the United States who has earned credentials to use Crystalens,

according to Eyeonics cofounder Andy Corley.

“I was excited about the procedure when I first saw the results,”

Feinerman said. “It has made a big difference in helping people

restore their vision.”

Feinerman said a handful of ophthalmologists in California use the

procedure, and up to 25 surgeons nationwide receive their credentials

each month.

Feinerman said the lens works by moving forward and backward with

the eye’s ciliary muscle to help people focus naturally at all

distances.

“It acts like the eye’s natural lens,” he said.

The procedure takes about 20 minutes to complete, and patients are

in and out of the operating room in about 90 minutes.

Feinerman said he can do about seven Crystalens operations per

day.

He makes a 2-millimeter incision in the patient’s eye, vaporizes

the cataracts using an ultrasound instrument and then inserts the

Crystalens implant.

Dr. Stuart Cumming, the chief scientific operator of Eyeonics, who

helped with research and development of Crystalens, said Feinerman

showed immediate interest in the technology and has taken advantage

of the product.

“He’s an excellent surgeon and takes care of his patients,”

Cumming said. “His results show his competence.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

elia.powers@latimes.com.