READ-ONLY VERSION:
October 18, 2018
For immediate release
Contact: Jami Palmer Brinton
314-375-2020 (office)
jamipalmerbrinton@
Saint Louis truck driver to be first U.S. patient to receive newly FDA-approved LASIK alternative to correct vision
New Visian Toric ICL corrects nearsightedness and astigmatism; keratoconus patients benefit greatly, too
ST LOUIS, MO (Oct. 18, 2018) – David Cheshire, 37, of Pontoon Beach, IL, has worn glasses since
third grade when his teacher noticed he was lying down to read his books.
“I couldn’t read when I was sitting at my desk,” said David. “I found if I laid down on my back
somehow I could get through my reading assignment a little bit easier. It was a difficult time in
my childhood.”
David’s eyesight never improved, and his astigmatism worsened. After working for years as a
professional truck driver, the long days on the road took a toll on his eyes. He tried wearing
contacts but didn’t like them and couldn’t afford prescription sunglasses.
“Driving down the interstate day in and day out started to cause a lot of strain on my eyes,”
said David. “Exit signs started to get blurry and I knew that I had to take action to fix my
eyesight.”
David thought about getting LASIK for years but learned his eyes were too bad to be corrected
with current technology. Upon visiting Brinton Vision, he was thrilled to find out that he was a
candidate to receive the new, FDA-approved Visian Toric Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) to
improve his vision. On Monday, October 22, at Brinton Vision in Creve Coeur, he will become
the first patient in the United States to have a procedure with this technology.
“We are thrilled Brinton Vision was chosen be the first practice in the country to offer this
state-of-the-art medical technology to improve eyesight in patients, like David, who will greatly
benefit from the Visian Toric ICL,” said Jason P. Brinton, MD, founder of Brinton Vision.
The Visian Toric ICL is a biocompatible, implantable contact lens and is the first entrant in a new
category of technology that corrects astigmatism without removing tissue from the eye’s
cornea (as with LASIK) or from the eye’s lens (as with cataract and RLE procedures). Clinical
studies have proven the lens to be a safe and effective treatment for people who are
nearsighted, have astigmatism, and who want a potentially reversible option for lifelong vision
correction.
David also has the early stages of keratoconus – a challenging eye disease that causes a variety
of issues, including blurring and distortion of vision. Now, with access to a newly approved
procedure, David’s vision can be cleared, despite his disease.
“The Toric ICL opens up a whole new world visually for patients who have keratoconus,” said
Dr. Brinton. “This lens has been successfully used internationally for years to correct vision in a
subset of patients with this disease and will now be available for the first time in the US – that’s
a big deal to the roughly quarter of a million people in this country who, like David, suffer from
blurry vision due to this eye condition.”
For David, the short Visian Toric ICL procedure will provide the visual freedom and opportunity
to experience life in a way he has only dreamed of since early childhood. He looks forward to
more fully enjoying his love of four-wheeling, go-karting, and hiking with clear vision.