LAKE FOREST, Calif.—STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, yesterday announced the first implants of the EVO Visian Implantable Collamer lens (EVO ICL) in the U.S. The news comes just over a week after STAAR Surgical announced that it had received U.S. FDA approval for the EVO ICL as reported in VMAIL. EVO ICL procedures have or will occur in California, Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Utah in the coming days, STAAR Surgical said.

One of the first EVO ICL patients in the U.S. is a female with myopia and astigmatism in her 30s who previously used monthly disposable contact lenses and glasses. She received toric EVO ICL lenses to achieve Visual Freedom and break free from contact lenses and glasses.
 
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 to 8 minutes for each eye.
 
STAAR also announced its program of meetings and presentations during the ASCRS Annual Meeting which will be held in Washington, D.C. from April 22-26. The events include an EVO ICL Educational Event with a Panel of Global EVO ICL Users, Friday, April 22, and a Residents and Fellows Reception on Saturday, April 23.
 
“We are thrilled to begin commercialization of our EVO lenses in the U.S. and announce milestone first implants just days after product approval,” said Caren Mason, president and CEO of STAAR Surgical. “The U.S. is a very important market for STAAR as it represents over 20 percent 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,” Mason said.