Kristin Cavallari Takes Camera Into Her Own Hands for RealityLASIK Docu-Drama Premiering Online Today
Kristin Cavallari Takes Camera Into Her Own Hands for RealityLASIK Docu-Drama Premiering Online Today
Tuesday May 1, 10:00 am ET
| source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070501/latu030.html?.v=98 |
'Real Eye' Series Follows Actress' Pursuit of 20/20 Vision - A Reality Shared by Millions Each Year
The online series, underwritten and produced by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) (NYSE: EYE - News), the company behind the advanced blade-free LASIK procedure, premieres today at www.realityLASIK.com. It is the first docu-drama to use a reality show format as the vehicle for not only entertaining, but also educating viewers about the popular vision correction surgery.
"Kristin had made the decision to have LASIK surgery and approached us with the idea of documenting her own experience as a fun way to speak to her fans and others considering the procedure," said Lauren Kanner, AMO's global director of consumer market development. "The medical industry is always looking for ways to earn the public's trust. The very nature of a reality-based program is to draw the audience in, and we thought this was an engaging opportunity for people to live the LASIK surgery experience through Kristin's eyes, not ours."
Cavallari added, "I am a person with real questions, fears, and ultimately, extreme elation with the end result. AMO gave me the freedom to tell my story, on my terms, with my own friends and family using my own cameras."
Reality crews follow Kristin Cavallari's every LASIK move over a one month time span, capturing her first doctor's visit, the advanced blade-free LASIK procedure itself performed by renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Maloney, and the subsequent post-op visits. The 8-episode docu-drama also catches Kristin in candid, confessional moments -- some filmed by close friends and family and some by herself with the use of four digital camcorders. The reality series also includes a companion blog and audiocast of her experience.
RealityLASIK: Beauty Real-EYE-zed
The first episode opens with Kristin entering her management offices to pitch the concept for an online reality journal. The concept is met with much enthusiasm around the room as she details her desire to reach out to her fans and other young people.
"My frustration with my vision began in sixth grade with my first pair of glasses and didn't get any better with my first pair of contacts two years later," said Cavallari. "No matter how you look at it, glasses and contacts are a huge inconvenience, especially when you're young."
Episode 2 will debut one week later with one episode rolling out each week.
Real-EYE-Dramas Acted out Daily Nationwide
Millions struggle with the hassle of contacts and glasses. Yet most don't realize that the likelihood of a serious sight-threatening complication from contact lenses is five times greater than LASIK, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology (Mathers, et. al., Oct. 2006). The size of the U.S. Gen Y population is estimated at 76 million. (Fast Company, Jan./Feb. 2006).
"People in their 20s are the ideal candidates for LASIK. Not only will they enjoy great vision for decades to come, but they will preserve the health of their eyes by eliminating continual contact lens wear," said Dr. Maloney. "Kristin really represents a generation that is comfortable and savvy enough to seek the most advanced technologies, such as Advanced CustomVue LASIK with the IntraLase Method, to meet the demands of their lifestyles."
Dr. Maloney continued, "By having LASIK surgery earlier in life, this generation also will save tens of thousands of dollars in glasses, contact lenses, solutions and continual follow-up care." Given the cost of contacts, ever-changing glasses prescriptions and follow-up care, some people can recoup the cost of LASIK in less than three years. Flexible financing plans can make this a realistic, affordable option for young people.
Casting Call
In conjunction with the docu-drama's premiere, AMO also is launching a nationwide contest for people to submit their own videos, audiocasts and blog entries, documenting their own experience having Advanced CustomVue LASIK using the IntraLase Method. Experiences can be submitted in the form of a video, audio or diary entry to www.RealityLASIK.com. One winner will be selected each month through December 31, 2007 and awarded $5,000. For a complete list of contest rules please visit www.RealityLASIK.com.
RealityLASIK Credits:
Starring Kristin Cavallari
Kristin Cavallari is known for her role several years ago on the MTV Reality TV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. She was one of several women who had their real life captured on the reality TV show, as she progressed from a high school junior in the first season to a senior in the second season of the show. Kristin's friends and family also appear in the RealityLASIK docu-drama including her mom, best friend, manager and beloved dog.
Ophthalmologist: Dr. Robert K. Maloney
Robert K. Maloney, MD, MA (Oxon), is a former Rhodes scholar and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University. He completed his education at Oxford University and John Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Maloney was the first surgeon in western North America to perform LASIK surgery as part of the original FDA clinical trials. He is clinical professor of ophthalmology at UCLA and director of the Maloney Vision Institute in West Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Maloney has personally performed more than 50,000 vision-correction procedures and has been interviewed by the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, Extra, 20/20, Prime Time Live, PBS's Life and Times, and CNN's the World Today. He also has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers.
The Procedure: Advanced CustomVue(TM) LASIK with the IntraLase Method(TM)
The Advanced CustomVue laser vision correction procedure stands in a class of its own with the broadest range of FDA-approved indications. When combined with the power and precision of the IntraLase Method, the Advanced CustomVue represents the most advanced LASIK procedure available to patients today. The IntraLase FS laser, the first technology for a blade-free LASIK procedure, replaces the handheld microkeratome blade historically used in creating LASIK corneal flaps -- the first step of the procedure -- with a computer guided, ultra-fast femtosecond (fem-to-second) laser. The IntraLase laser virtually eliminates the majority of the most severe sight-threatening LASIK complications related to use of the microkeratome and, by creating an optimal corneal surface below the flap, provides for better visual outcomes -- taking patients to 20/20 vision and beyond. More than one million LASIK procedures using the IntraLase Method have been performed.
Executive Producers: Advanced Medical Optics (AMO)
AMO develops advanced, life-improving vision technologies for people of all ages. Products in the cataract/implant line include intraocular lenses (IOLS), phacoemulsification systems, viscoelastics, and related products used in ocular surgery. AMO owns or has the rights to such product brands as ReZoom®, Tecnis®, Clariflex®, Sensar®, and Verisyse(TM) IOLs, Sovereign® and Sovereign® Compact(TM) phacoemulsification systems with WhiteStar® technology, Healon® viscoelastics, and the Baerveldt® glaucoma shunt. Products in the laser vision correction line include wavefront diagnostic devices, femtosecond lasers and associated patient interface devices, and excimer laser vision correction systems and treatment cards. AMO brands in the laser vision correction business include Star S4 IR(TM), WaveScan Wavefront®, CustomVue(TM), IntraLase (TM), IntraLase Method(TM) and IntraLasik(TM). Products in the contact lens care line include disinfecting solutions, enzymatic cleaners and lens rewetting drops. Among the eye care product brands the company possesses are COMPLETE Moisture PLUS®, COMPLETE® Blink-N-Clean®, Consept®F, Consept® 1 Step, Oxysept® 1 Step, UltraCare®, Ultrazyme®, Total Care(TM) and blink(TM) branded products. AMO is based in Santa Ana, California, and employs approximately 4,200 worldwide. The company has operations in 24 countries and markets products in approximately 60 countries. For more information, visit the company's Website at www.amo-inc.com.
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