STAAR Visian ICL getting popular

The Staar Surgical Company, based in Monrovia, CA, is a manufacturer of vision enhancement products. One of their products is currently in the news for its dramatic rise in popularity - the Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens). The only other company producing ICL lenses is Verisyse lens, however Visian ICL is already the leader in the market with their innovative technology. In short, STAAR Surgical company is essentially banking on the success of the Visian to provide it with the financial muscle to make STAAR a more formidable competitor in the overall marketplace for a variety of ophthalmic devices and instruments.

The Visian ICL is a contact lens which can be implanted to correct the eye’s refractive error, and is an alternative treatment to LASIK. The best news that STAAR had received in years occurred in December, 2005 when the FDA approved the Visian for the treatment of myopia in adults 21 to 45 with corrections ranging from -3 D to -20 D, with astigmatism less than or equal to 2.5 D at the spectacle plane, anterior chamber depth 3 mm or greater, and a stable refractive history within 0.5 D for a year prior to implantation. It was given FDA approval in . Of the 1.4 million LASIK procedures that are performed annually in the U.S., the Visian ICL has so far captured less than one percent. But this gives it a lot of room to grow, and there is not a lot of competition.

Staar’s shares have increased 72% in Nasdaq trading so far this year. Analysts are expecting sales this year of $80.7 million, and $90.5 million next year. That would bring it close to $100 million, at which point a larger company would probably want to buy it. The Visian ICL’s technology is ingenious, making it an excellent product, and a company like Bausch & Lomb or Johnson & Johnson would likely want to acquire it.

LASIK procedures have recently slowed down in numbers. However, ICL surgeries increased about 50% during 2007.

1. The ICL is a reversible procedure, so that if your eyes change over the years, the ICLs can be replaced to match. They are made of collamer, a pure collagen copolymer which the body will not reject.
2. You would not feel or see the ICLs within your eyes
3. Your visual clarity would be vastly improved, as well as your vision quality — no halos around lights, starbursts in low light conditions, etc.
4. Others would not be able to detect the presence of the ICLs in your eyes
5. Based on 55,000 eyes worldwide, the ICLs have an excellent safety record.

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