STAAR Surgical Announces Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Senshinkai Eye Institute, A Leading Eye Care Chain in Japan

LAKE FOREST, Calif. & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, today announced that it entered a strategic cooperation agreement with Senshinkai Eye Institute (SEI), an eye care group with five locations in Japan. Like other strategic cooperation agreements, the agreement includes volume commitments for the Company’s implantable Collamer lenses (ICLs), ICL surgeon training and certification, tools for patient education and co-marketing.

“In Japan and globally the significant increase in the myopic population¹ is a megatrend that compromises human quality of life (QOL) while contributing to socio-economic losses. In my opinion, we as ophthalmological pioneers must actively work on a safe and long-term treatment of myopia,” said Yoshitaka Oka, M.D., and Chairman of Senshinkai Eye Institute, Inc. “STAAR Surgical's EVO ICL can provide patients with improved visual quality using a unique and proprietary material with proven long-term stability and safety. I have been performing ICL surgery since 2010 and have always believed that ophthalmic care must consider QOL and an optimal and customized treatment for patients. The EVO ICL family of lenses is an indispensable partner in achieving these goals and my treatment of myopia.”

Senshinkai Eye Institute personnel totals 115, including 12 full-time and 20 part-time medical doctors and 17 specialist optometrists across five locations in the Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka prefectures.

“We are excited to partner and support Dr. Oka and the Senshinkai Eye Institute through this new strategic cooperation agreement,” said Caren Mason, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical. “Japan is a very important market for STAAR, where, similar to the United States, the number of laser vision correction procedures has declined significantly while the need for vision correction remains high. SEI operates the second largest number of refractive surgery clinics in Japan. Our goal with SEI and our EVO ICL family of lenses is to offer as many suitable patients as possible the opportunity for a lifestyle of visual freedom without the hassles and costs associated with eyeglasses and disposable contact lenses.”

Myopia (nearsightedness) is the need for distance vision correction. STAAR’s lens used in refractive surgery is called an Implantable Collamer® Lens or “ICL,” which includes the EVO Visian ICL™ product line. Unlike other procedures, the EVO procedure does not remove corneal tissue but works in harmony with the natural eye. EVO rests behind the iris and is biocompatible. 99.4% of patients in a Patient Registry said they would have the ICL procedure again.²

About STAAR Surgical

STAAR, which has been dedicated solely to ophthalmic surgery for over 30 years, designs, develops, manufactures and markets implantable lenses for the eye with companion delivery systems. These lenses are intended to provide visual freedom for patients, lessening or eliminating the reliance on eyeglasses or contact lenses. All of these lenses are foldable, which permits the surgeon to insert them through a small incision. STAAR’s lens used in refractive surgery is called an Implantable Collamer® Lens or “ICL,” which includes the EVO Visian ICL™ product line. More than 1,000,000 Visian^® ICLs have been implanted to date and STAAR markets these lenses in over 75 countries. To learn more about the ICL go to: www.discovericl.com. Headquartered in Lake Forest, CA, the company operates manufacturing and packaging facilities in Aliso Viejo, CA, Monrovia, CA and Nidau, Switzerland. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.staar.com.

About Senshinkai Eye Institute

Senshinkai Eye Institute, Inc. (SEI) operates five eye clinics in the Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka prefectures, treating a wide range of ophthalmologic symptoms. SEI specializes in Femto-Second Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS), Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS), Vitreous Surgery (VIT), and Refractive Surgery such as EVO ICL, LASIK and PRK. SEI and its clinics focus on advancing surgical technologies and equipment for enhancing patients' experience and outstanding satisfaction through continuous operational excellence, contributing to clinical practice and theories in ophthalmology. For more information, please visit the Senshinkai Eye Institute websites at senshinkai-clinic.jp or okaganka.com.

ATTENTION:

For Physicians: Please reference the Visian ICL Product Information for a complete listing of indications, warnings, and precautions.

For Patients: Before considering Visian ICL surgery you should talk with your eye care professional about Visian ICL surgery, especially the potential benefits, risks, and complications.

¹ Holden at al. (2016), “Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050”, Ophthalmology, Volume 124, Issue 5, pp 1036-1042
² Patient Registry data on file.