Staar Surgical (NSDQ:STAA) is looking to take its direct-to-consumer marketing to the next level, hiring commercial branding expert David Choromanski to boost the public profile of the Visian ICL implantable lenses.
Optical/Ophthalmic
Medtronic-backed AcuFocus wins FDA panel date for Kamra inlay
The FDA said it plans to hold an advisory panel hearing to evaluate the Kamra Inlay device made by AcuFocus to treat presbyopia, or near vision loss.
The FDA’s Ophthalmic Devices Panel will convene June 6 to consider AcuFocus’ bid for pre-market approval for the Kamra device, a ring-shaped inlay that’s implanted under the surface of the cornea, the federal watchdog agency said today.
ForSight moves on to VISION6 with $6M equity funding round
California ophthalmic incubator ForSight Labs is seeking $6 million in order to fund its VISION6 project, the latest in a string of developments spun out of the company.
Weather-induced FDA delay hits Staar Surgical’s bottom line
California-based STAAR Surgical (NSDQ:STAA) swung hard to a 1st-quarter loss after storm-related regulatory delays cost the company its bottom line.
Seeing the world through bionic eyes
A version of this story was originally posted on BetaBoston.com
In his hometown of Reed City, Mich., Roger Pontz is a dishwasher in a bowling alley bar. But in medical circles, he’s pioneering a new frontier.
ForSight Vision5 lands $15M Series C round
ForSight Vision5, which is developing devices to treat front-of-the-eye conditions such as glaucoma and dry eye disease, said it pulled down a $15 million Series C round.
ForSight Vision5 is a spinout of ForSight Labs, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based incubator focused on developing ophthalmic treatments.
Rumor Mill: Is Google working on contact lenses for the blind?
Transcend Medical closes on $22M Series C round
Transcend Medical said it closed on a Series C round worth $22 million that included a contribution from an unnamed "global pharmaceutical and medical device company."
Transcend, which is developing a micro-stent called the CyPass to treat glaucoma, said it plans to use the proceeds to complete its Compass pivotal trial for the CyPass device. The study’s follow-up period is slated to be complete during the 2nd quarter of 2015, according to a press release.
Stealthy Auris Surgical Robotics raises $34M for eye-surgery device
Stealthy Auris Surgical Robotics, which is led by Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) founder Dr. Frederic Moll, said it raised more than $34 million in an equity round.
Presbia files for $90M IPO
Presbia, which makes the Flexiview Micro-Lens corneal implant to treat presbyopia, registered with the SEC for an initial public offering of up to $90 million worth of stock.
The Flexiview Micro-Lens is designed to be inserted into a pocket created in the cornea using a laser. The pocket seals itself, holding the 3mm-diameter lens in the center of the visual axis. The 10-minute procedure is reversible and does not require general anesthesia, according to Presbia’s website.
Oculeve raises $16.6M in support of dry eye disease treatment
San Francisco startup Oculeve Inc. closed a $16.6 million funding round in supports of its implantable technology for treatment of dry eye disease.