Eyeworld Daily News

Saturday, April 26, 2014 ASCRS News Today by EyeWorld Staff Third annual OIS features innovation highlights LENSTAR LS 900 Improving outcomes. Olsen Formula on Board Measured lens thickness and the innovative concept of the C-constant of the on-board Olsen IOL calculation formula for premium IOL power prediction with the LENSTAR. T-Cone Toric Platform The optional T-Cone complements LENSTAR's measurement pallet with true Placido-Topography of the central cornea and a powerful toric IOL planner EyeSuite IOL Toric Planner The optional IOL toric planner allows optimisation of the inci- sion location and planning of the surgery on real eye images to reach advanced refractive results. www.haag-streit.com See us at ASCRS '14 Booth #333 EW SHOW DAILY 6 T he ophthalmic space has shown impressive progress, including a diversity of innovations in the pipeline, according to William J. Link, PhD, co-chair of the 3rd annual Ophthalmology Innovation Summit@ASCRS. "Innovation in the field of oph- thalmology is vibrant and is making a difference," said Dr. Link, manag- ing director of Versant Ventures. "It's exciting to see the networking and collaboration in these meetings." This year's meeting had 350 attendees from 17 countries and 26 states. Dr. Link said the OIS meet- ings "fuel growth in this field," bringing a diverse group of representatives of the ophthalmic community together. Following the private compa- nies showcase, Dr. Link outlined the current financing environment in the field. He said that while ophthal- mology remains one of the most ac- tive sectors in the device space, there has been a steady decline in the number of investments and money invested from 2007 through 2012. However, the IPO market could be potentially strong into the future, especially in biotechnology, he said. This year's OIS Innovator Award was presented to Mark Forchette, president and CEO of OptiMedica (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, Calif.). Mr. Forchette was inspired to enter the business field by a chance meeting with Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds, when he was a teen. Mr. Forchette looks back on the en- counter as a "pivotal experience" that shaped the direction his career would take, motivating him to pur- sue business and become a CEO. Mr. Forchette dedicated the award to his OptiMedica colleagues. "It's not just a company that people enter to work in every day," he says. "It's a spirit of passionate people driven to deliver break- through technologies. And those people came into work every day to deliver their best, and they did it over and over again. This award really is their award." Panelists from around the world also commented on clinical studies, including Donald T.H. Tan, MD, Singapore, Matteo Piovella, MD, Italy, and Malvina B. Eydelman, MD, director, Division of Oph- thalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices, Office of Device Evaluation, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA. Gilbert Kliman, MD, Menlo Park, Calif., moderated the session. A dry eye panel featured a market overview from Edward J. Holland, MD, Cincinnati, as well as presentations from companies in the dry eye space. Historically the ocular surface has not been of great interest to ophthalmologists other than cornea

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