Vancouver night life A 22-year-old accountant is the Originator of Vancouver Nightlite Online, a website launched in October thar is attempting to become the online site of choice for those is search of evening entertainment kicks. The notion for such a website first came to West Vancouver's: Chris Breikss approximately four vears Ago, “EP was starting out on the Taternet and | re mostly in chat rooms, I decided’ to make a website about myself and about Vancouver” for other chatters to visit, “People kept asking me. Whavs | Vancouver like? What's tere to do there?" | really just took it trem there.” He went on to register a site name, hired a website designer and began to devel- op the content. The listings include night- clubs, pubs, bars. lounges, Internet cates. sports bars, Karaoke bars and restayzants with “pizzaz Said Breikss. “Right now ere including links to other people’ 's Websites juist to create interest in Vancouver Night- life. Réshards on Richards and Club Millennium are putting a fot of money into their web- sites so it's. a bit exciring.” He eventually plans to make money with the site. “As of vet we want evervone listed first and then if people want to inelude a logo or ¢- mail or atink ro their websice, then we'll start) charging.” He'll post listings trom White Rack to Lions Bav. One of the big challenges of building a successtul web- site is the task of getting the world to know you exist and then getting people interest- ed enough to visit. Said Breikss of his com- itive edge, “A loc of other Ys are acring, as tourism guides and we're just trying to establish our own niche.” To obtain a free listing ar the site contact Breikss by phone or fax at 922-1861 or via e-mail at . — Michael Breker Katharine Hamer Contributing Writer NORTH Vancouver opthalmoiogist Katherine McKay recently donated her body to science. Dr. MeKav. who fives and works in the Mount Seymour area, was the firsts eve doctor in the workd to rake part in clinical trials tor the latest dnd most expensive alterna- tive tod pair of glasses. The KeraVision Ring, which was officially launched in Canada fast week, is 3 micrathin polymer ring that is surgie Wy implanted at the ed he cornea during 15 mae outpatient 7 aroce- dure. The treatment is the first surgical procedure Cesigned to reshape the cornea by adding material instead) of removing lisse. The material ix the same as that currently used) in cataract repair surgery and for contact lenses, Although the operation is reversible, implants are meant tor permanent Jong- Term use. The ring was first tested on nearsighted patients in Brazil in 1997, Yr. MeKay heard abour the procedure via: KeraVision information sem- inar, The company were looking for volunteers to participate in Canadian clini- cal trials. and MeKav decided she was “a very good candi- date.” The KeraVision ring is ideally suited to patients with low levels (from -1.0 10 4.5 diopters) of myopia —- a cat- egory McKay herself fit into. Potential patients also need te be over 21 years of age, with a stable preserip- tion, The ring is implanied within the tissue of at the outer edge of the cornea. In tnyopia sufferers, the curva- ture of the cornea is too steep, resulting in blurry al impairment. vision, The presence of the ring flattens the cornea and thus corrects visu- n Wednesday. November 4, 1998 ~ North Shore News - 15 USINESS HIGH TECH _ NEWS photo Mike Waketield AT the forefront of new technology: Dr. Katherine MeKay, seen here at her North Vancouver practice, and the KeraVision Ring (top photo). MeKay NEW AND USED PENTIUM SYSTEMS FROM . $399 be (speakers & * monitors extra) SPEAKERS From $19.95 1431 Marine Drive, N. “very, very happy” KeraVision rings. “don’t feel it at‘all,” “It took about a week for the incision to heal, LAPTOPS 486's from $399 Pentiums from $995 with she her said. and it was a little scrarchy to begin with, bur now it’s juse fine,” MekKav added thar the ring was “less visible than a contact lens.” She said thar the operation carried a minimum level of risk, and that the vision of patients who'd had the rings explanted) returned to its original levels. Patients with a change in prescription can exchange the implants, or those who wanted to return to wlasses or contact: lenses would be able to. MeRav's operation was performed by Dr. Simon Holland at The Laser Centre in downtown Vancouver. Dr. Holland was the first eve surgeon in B.C. to perform the procedure, although several others in the Lower Mainland have since been trained by KeraVision. The only North Shore surgeons currently able to pertorm che procedure are at Eve Associates, on E. 13th Street in North Vancouver. Eve Associates’ Dr. Perry Macrov is anticipating a flurry of patient interest in the KeraVision ring. “The procedure adds a new dimension to refrac: tive surgery”, said Dr. Macrov. “It’s no more invasive than laser surgery, and most importantly, its reversible” Laser surgery, which is irreversible, affects che central corneal tissue. Macrov said a dor oof patients who had held back on getting laser treatment may well be : in the sion ring. The procedure is being marketed as a serious cor- rective alternative to laser surgery — particularly for patients who perhaps only need lenses for driving or watching a movie. Costs for the procedure, which is not covered by medical insurance, are currently running at abour $5,100. RSMPUTER. STORE Where your money huys you more!