Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.

 

3. Calhoun Vision aims to disrupt ophthalmology with its light-adjustable lens

For years the Holy Grail of ophthalmology has been to give patients the ability to see clearly both and near and far distances. Verne Sharma, CEO of Calhoun Vision, thnks his company’s light-adjustable lens has reached that goal.

The LAL device uses a unique blend of light-sensitive polymers to create a customized lens to correct astigmatism, myopia and hyperopia. Sharma told MassDevice.com recently that the Calhoun Vision has developed a way to also treat presbyopia. Read more

2. Wisconsin owes $12M over aborted Abbott plant

The U.S. Housing & Urban Development Dept. wants the state of Wisconsin to fork over some $12.3 million the Badger State’s then-commerce secretary granted to induce Abbott to build a plant there.

The grant was used to set aside a 40-acre parcel in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., that Abbott planned to build. The plant was forecast to create some 2,400 new jobs over a decade, but it was never built and the land is still undeveloped, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Read more

1. Smith & Nephew enters robotics with knee surgery partnership

Orthopedic giant Smith & Nephew is dipping its toes into robotic surgery with a new agreement to integrate its Journey Uni partial knee implant with robotic surgical navigation systems made by Blue Belt Technologies.

Surgeons will be able to use Blue Belt’s Navio orthopedic surgical system to plan surgery, prepare bone and precisely navigate how the Journey Uni implant is placed in the knee joint, without requiring preoperative CT scanning. Read more