STAAR Surgical celebrates 30th anniversary of Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL).

(Image Credit: AdobeStock/Mohammed)

STAAR Surgical is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its proprietary Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL).

While STAAR began selling the ICL in 1996, the first ICLs were implanted by a group of surgeons in October 1993. Roberto Zaldivar, MD, founder of the Zaldivar Institute was among the group of surgeons.¹

In a press release from the company, Tom Frinzi, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical, talked about the significance of the anniversary.

“We celebrate the 30th anniversary of our ICL technology with surgeons and patients,” said Frinzi. “The collaboration between ophthalmic surgeons and industry is important and unique for advancing innovative technologies like ICL. We are proud of our association with Dr. Zaldivar and the many other clinicians that work with STAAR to positively impact the millions of patients who will benefit from our lenses.”

EVO ICLs, which evolved from early-generation ICLs, offer a lens-based alternative for the correction/reduction of refractive error in people who currently use glasses and/or contact lenses for vision correction.

The EVO procedure, as stated in the press release, involves “implanting a proprietary and biocompatible EVO ICL into the eye between the iris and the natural lens to correct/reduce nearsightedness with and without astigmatism.”¹

The company states that the EVO ICL procedure takes 20-30 minutes with most patients reporting improved vision immediately after the procedure, and that 99.4% of patients would have the procedure again.¹

References:

1. STAAR Surgical Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Implantable Collamer® Lens (ICL). Press Release. Released October 17, 2023. Accessed October 17, 2023. https://investors.staar.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2023/STAAR-Surgical-Celebrates-30th-Anniversary-of-Implantable-Collamer-Lens-ICL/default.aspx