SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global ophthalmic company OptiMedica Corp. has announced that its Catalys Precision Laser System for cataract surgery has been selected as a winner of R&D Magazine’s prestigious R&D 100 award. Selected by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine, the R&D 100 awards recognize the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.
“The R&D 100 award is a great tribute to an outstanding group of people who together produced a truly remarkable system in Catalys,” said Mark J. Forchette, OptiMedica president and chief executive officer. “We are deeply gratified to be recognized for this achievement and for the potential Catalys has to benefit millions of cataract patients around the world.”
Catalys is the product of an extensive effort by OptiMedica to deliver the precision and safety benefits of femtosecond laser to cataract surgery, a widely performed procedure estimated at 19 million cases worldwide per year.1 The system combines a femtosecond laser, integrated 3D Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging and OptiMedica’s breakthrough pattern scanning technology in an ergonomic, easy-to-use system that delivers a precise, customized procedure for patients. Distinguishing features include a Liquid Optics™ Interface that ensures stable system-patient attachment and optimizes the optical path to the patient’s eye, and a proprietary Integral Guidance™ mapping system that ensures the femtosecond laser pulses are delivered safely and precisely to the intended location.
Clinical study results have shown that Catalys delivers incisions that are an order of magnitude more precise than those performed with manual technique and are accurate within tens of microns of intended. 2,3 (For visual reference, the width of a human hair is approximately 85 microns.) Moreover, Catalys has been shown to reduce the amount of ultrasound energy needed to remove the hard cataractous lens by up to 96 percent, providing a gentler and potentially safer procedure for patients and an enhanced experience for surgeons.4
“This award is a wonderful confirmation of what we are seeing from cataract surgeons around the world who are choosing Catalys because they believe it the best technology platform for laser cataract surgery,” said David D. Scott, OptiMedica vice president of research and development. “Our goal in developing Catalys was to create a system that delivers unsurpassed precision and leaves nothing to chance. It is an honor to have the distinguished panel of R&D 100 judges reward our efforts with this distinction.”
Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market that eventually helped shape everyday life for Americans. These include the flashcube (1965), the automated teller machine (1973), the fax machine (1975), the liquid crystal display (1980), the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch (1992), and HDTV (1998). OptiMedica also won an R&D 100 award in 2007 for its PASCAL® Method of retinal photocoagulation, which was acquired by Topcon Corp. in August 2010.
About OptiMedica
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., OptiMedica Corp. is a Silicon Valley-based global ophthalmic device company dedicated to developing performance-driven technologies that improve patient outcomes. Exclusively focused in the cataract therapeutic area, the company has developed the Catalys Precision Laser System to transform existing standards of care in cataract surgery. Catalys is U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) market cleared and CE mark approved for performing capsulotomy and/or lens fragmentation and is also CE mark approved for performing corneal incisions during cataract procedures.
OptiMedica is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Alloy Ventures, DAG Ventures, BlackRock Private Equity Partners and Bio*One Capital. For more information, please visit www.optimedica.com.
References
1 2011 Market Scope Report on the
Global Cataract Equipment Market
2 Friedman, NJ, et al.,
“Femtosecond Laser Capsulotomy,” Journal of Cataract & Refractive
Surgery, 2011 July; 37(7): 1189-1198
3 Palanker, D.,
et al., “Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery with Integrated
Optical Coherence Tomography,” Science Translational Medicine,
Vol 2 Issue 58: 1-9 (2010)
4 Dick, B. “Experience
with Catalys Precision Laser System,” Presented at the Asia Pacific
Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting in Busan, Korea. April 2012.
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