Staar Surgical Announces First Implants of EVO Visian ICL in the US

Staar Surgical announced the first implants of the EVO Visian Implantable Collamer lens (EVO ICL) in the US. The company also announced its program of meetings and presentations during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting (ASCRS) in Washington, DC, April 22 through April 26, 2022.

EVO ICL procedures have or will occur in California, Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Utah in the coming days. One of the first EVO ICL patients in the US is a female with myopia and astigmatism in her thirties who previously used monthly disposable contact lenses and glasses. She received toric EVO ICL lense. Toric EVOs are designed to correct myopia, which is the need for distance vision correction, and astigmatism. The bilateral EVO implantation procedure was completed in approximately 7-8 minutes for each eye.

Staar also announced its program of meetings and presentations during the ASCRS Annual Meeting. The following is a representative selection of Staar and EVO/ICL events and scientific presentations during ASCRS:

• EVO ICL Educational Event with Panel of Global EVO ICL Users, Friday, April 22;
• Residents and Fellows Reception, Saturday, April 23;
• Booth Exhibit and Education Activities at the ASCRS Annual Meeting (Booth Number 2718), beginning Saturday, April 23;
• Educational Roundtable Clinical Sessions at STAAR’s Booth, Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24;
• Didactic Surgeon Training Sessions at STAAR’s Booth, Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24;
• Dr. Mark Packer Presentation, United States Clinical Multicenter Trial of a Posterior Chamber Phakic Implantable Lens with a Central Port for Myopia or Myopic Astigmatism, Sunday, April 24; and
• Approximately a dozen other Scientific Posters and Papers, Saturday through Monday, April 23-25.

“We are thrilled to begin commercialization of our EVO lenses in the US and announce milestone first implants just days after product approval,” Caren Mason, President and CEO of Staar Surgical, said in a company news release. “The U.S. is a very important market for Staar as it represents over 20% of global refractive procedures. U.S. surgeon enthusiasm is at an all-time high ahead of the ASCRS Annual Meeting later this month. We look forward to a strong and exciting showcasing of EVO ICL presentations and events at ASCRS and anticipate certifying hundreds of U.S. surgeons on EVO ICL implantation during the second quarter of 2022.”