STAAR Surgical Forms Team of Leading Ophthalmic Surgeons to Study the Use of Collamer(R) Material for Accommodating Intraocu...( MONROVIA Calif. Nov. 20 /- STAAR Surg...),Health

MONROVIA, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STAAR Surgical Company (Nasdaq: STAA) today announced the creation of a team of leading ophthalmic surgeons, CAST (Collamer(R) Accommodating Study Team), to work with the Company in a collaborative effort in evaluating the accommodative properties of its Collamer lens technology. Accommodating Intraocular Lenses (IOLs) are implantable lenses designed to restore the eye's ability to "accommodate," or to adjust to see near and far as does the natural eye. This ability diminishes with age, and conventional IOLs used in cataract surgery do not restore it.

"Our patented Collamer material is similar to the eye's natural crystalline lens in its ability to refract light, its flexibility and high water content - all characteristics necessary for high quality visual outcomes," said Barry G. Caldwell, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical. "During the recent American Academy of Ophthalmic Meeting we formed CAST, which is currently comprised of seven leading ophthalmologists, to investigate the baseline accommodative ability of our Collamer lens. We have reviewed published clinical data by Dr. Liz Davis and Dr. Liviu Saimovici reporting the accommodative properties of our Collamer Single Piece Lens as well as feedback from ophthalmologists involved in other clinical comparisons where the Three Piece Collamer lens showed accommodative properties."

To explore the accommodative properties of Collamer a phased approach will be used. The members of the CAST team will begin Phase One with the launch of the Collamer Aspheric Single Piece Lens. The initial goal is to collect baseline accommodative data on the performance of the lens. Each member will collect near and distance visual acuity data from their patients implanted with the Collamer lens. STAAR's research and development tea
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