Biolase Issued new Patent Supporting use of Laser Technologies for Treating Eye Conditions, Including Presbyopia

Date Announced: 03 Mar 2011

Additional Support for Ophthalmic Applications for Laser Technology Using the Company's Er,Cr:YSGG Waterlase Technology.

IRVINE, CA (March 3, 2011) - BIOLASE Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLTI), the World's leading dental laser manufacturer and distributor, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued BIOLASE a new patent covering the use of its laser technologies for treating various conditions of the eye, including presbyopia. The patent is related to applying dyes and colored lighting to make structures in the eye more visible for various eye procedures performed with the Company's patented laser technologies. In addition, certain colorings allow for greater absorption of energy making it easier to cut at lower energy settings.

The patent is number 7,891,363 and is titled "Methods for Treating Eye Conditions." It supports previously issued patents and covers methods for treating eye disorders, such as presbyopia, the age- related loss of near vision that comes to everyone in mid-life. Presbyopia generally signifies a universal decrease in the amplitude of accommodation in the eye and currently affects over 100 million people in the U.S. and more than 2 billion people worldwide.

This is BIOLASE's sixth U.S. patent to be issued related under the "Methods for treating eye conditions" patent family. BIOLASE currently holds a total of nine issued and 20 pending U.S. and International patents in four patent families in the field of ophthalmology and, with U.S. patents 7,867,223, issued January 11, 2011, and 7,878,204, issued February 1, 2011, these patents and their U.S. and international counterparts give BIOLASE a wide range of applications and coverage in the field.

Federico Pignatelli, Chairman and CEO, commented, "This patent further demonstrates how broad the applications for our laser technologies are within ophthalmology. We are assessing a number of strategic alternatives for our valuable ophthalmology technology and plan to pursue, in the near future, FDA approval for clinical trials for a treatment for presbyopia. In addition to ophthalmology, we have several other major medical applications in dermatology, cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, urology and ENT that we plan to commercialize or license in the near future."

Chief Technology Officer Dmitri Boutoussov, PhD, said, "This patent has wide application in multiple eye treatment procedures, where laser or other light sources are involved. It also opens the door for the development of advanced treatment protocols with intensive use of various imaging technologies. It is synergistic with the emerging expertise of BIOLASE in optical imaging and creates the opportunity to integrate digital imaging devices and lasers for disruptive medical applications of light-based technologies, well beyond dentistry."

Source: Biolase

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