Golf Phenom Tiger Woods, NHL Star Michael Peca Among Pro Athletes Scoring Big After Laser Vision Correction
Mississauga, ON, November 29, 2001 - Golf superstar Tiger Woods did it and went on to become the first golfer to hold all four professional major championships. NHL favorite Michael Peca did it and went on to lead the New York Islanders to the best start in the franchise's history. What is it that these two elite athletes did to produce such stellar results? Tiger and Peca are among the growing number of athletes who, to improve their performance and gain an edge, have undergone laser vision correction through TLC Laser Eye CentersTM (TLC), a leading provider of vision correction services.
The impact that laser vision correction surgery can have on an athlete's performance can be witnessed from the golf course to the swimming pool to the hockey rink. By improving athletes' vision and ending their dependency on glasses and contacts, LASIK surgery can make athletes more comfortable during competition.
"I had heard all of the stories about people claiming that laser vision correction was like a miracle in their lives," said Tiger. "I was interested, even curious, but I never imagined how much this procedure would change my life. When I recall how poor my eyesight was my entire life, I feel like I've experienced a miracle."
"Problems with my contact lenses during games interfered with my ability to perform at my best," said Peca, who started wearing glasses when he was 12 years old. "To be a perfect athlete, you have to be in perfect health and have perfect vision. I wanted to get the best technology available today with one of the most experienced surgeons."
"I am really pleased with my results so far and I'm told my vision will likely get even better," said Peca. "I almost wonder if my surgeon put some sort of 'bionic' eye balls in my head."
"For athletes who opt for laser vision correction, their eyesight becomes one less thing to be concerned about," said Dr. Mark Whitten, TLC regional medical director, who has performed vision correction surgery on a number of professional golfers, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Jesper Parnevik and Fred Funk. "With improved vision, athletes can focus on the essentials of their game without having to think about their eyesight." Other professional athletes who have had the surgery with TLC Laser Eye CentersTM include LPGA leader Se Ri Pak, Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell and Olympic swimming gold medalist Amy Van Dyken.
But professionals are not the only ones to benefit from LASIK. Many amateur athletes have followed in the footsteps of the pros and have had LASIK in hopes of improving their performance. TLC surgeons such as Dr. Whitten and Dr. Omar Hakim, who operated on Michael Peca, do not limit themselves to professional athletes but instead make their services available to any patient who chooses to have LASIK with TLC and is an appropriate candidate for the procedure. "Because they have even more room to improve than the pros, many of the amateur athletes I operate on often report even better results than the pros," said Dr. Hakim. "And the amateurs are always so excited and appreciative when they report back about the improvements in their games."
Tiger Woods underwent LASIK surgery, the most common laser vision correction procedure, at TLC Laser Eye CentersTM in Rockville, Maryland in October 1999. Dr. Whitten, TLC Regional Medical Director, performed the surgery. Immediately following his surgery, Tiger won four consecutive PGA Tour events to end 1999 and started 2000 with two more victories for a total of six in succession. Michael Peca's LASIK surgery was performed at TLC Laser Eye CentersTM in Toronto, Ontario in June 2001. TLC Medical Director, Dr. Hakim, performed the procedure. Peca was acquired by the New York Islanders in June 2001, and at the start of this season he was designated the team's captain, leading the team to win 11 of its first 14 games. About TLCVision
TLCVision Corporation is North America's premier eye surgery company. TLCVision enjoys a number of valuable assets including an affiliated network of more than 12,500 optometrists and 1,000 ophthalmic surgeons, access to some of the newest clinical technologies, proven patient education and marketing programs, state-of-the-art information systems, a strong operations management culture and a number of well established corporate brands. The Company's common shares trade on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol 'TLCV' and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'TLC'. Visit TLCVision's web site at http://www.tlcv.com. Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "predict," "plans" or "continue" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology referring to future events or results. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, including the timing of expenditures, effects of competition, changes to pricing, acquisitions and expansion opportunities, any of which could cause actual results to vary materially from current results of TLCVision's anticipated future results. See the Company's reports filed with the Canadian Securities Regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time for cautionary statements identifying important factors with respect to such forward looking statements, including certain risks and uncertainties, that could cause actual results to differ materially from results referred to in forward looking statements. TLCVision assumes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release.
News Release
Contact:
For Immediate Release Stephen Kilmer
Director of Investor Relations
(905) 602-2020 ext. 3904
Email: investor.relations@tlcvision.com
