ReVision Optics poised to fill growing presbyopia treatment niche

A company executive explains the Vue+ corneal inlay at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit.

Promising clinical results and versatility have positioned ReVision Optics to compete in the global presbyopia correction market, according to a company executive.

John Kilcoyne, president and CEO of ReVision Optics, discussed the Vue+ corneal inlay at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Orlando, Fla.

The implant is designed to enable patients not to use reading glasses and to improve their overall appearance, Mr. Kilcoyne said.

“Whether you live in Boston, Berlin or Bangkok, we are a society or a people that is focused on maintaining our youthful appearance,” Mr. Kilcoyne said. “We run, get Botox injections, get our teeth whitened. We work out to make ourselves look youthful, but it makes no difference if you are the most in-shape man in the world. As soon as you put on those reading glasses, you look old.”

The company believes that the implant will fill a marketing void of approximately 90 million presbyopic patients strategically placed between younger LASIK patients and older cataract/IOL patients, Mr. Kilcoyne said.

“But it’s not just that void that we fulfill,” he said. “We also believe that we can compete in the pseudophakic post-IOL market as well as concurrent LASIK — one product technology supporting or servicing three major market segments.”

Convenience, comfort, simplicity

The Vue+ allows comfortable placement with minimal effort, Mr. Kilcoyne said.

“It’s a very forgiving technology,” he said. “It can be as much as half a millimeter off the centerline and still have no adverse impact on the performance of the lens. Once the inlay is in place and it dries, simply moisten the flap and replace it.”

The implant, a hydrogel microlens, is approximately 2 mm in diameter and 30 µm thick. Mr. Kilcoyne said the implant is designed to mimic corneal tissue and is easy to use. Preliminary data support the design objective of improving reading and intermediate vision.

The Vue+ is placed under a femtosecond laser LASIK flap with minimal image-guided placement.

“No complex centering technology is required,” Mr. Kilcoyne said. “The inlay is designed to increase the curvature of the corneal surface, thereby changing the refraction, resulting in an improvement in near and intermediate vision.”

The implant is removable.

Mr. Kilcoyne presented a summary of phase 1 and 2 data from the company’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration Investigational Device Exemption clinical trial that included 105 patients; 29 patients had 12 months of follow-up.

At 1 week postop, Snellen binocular distance visual acuity averaged about 20/20. Patients gained about five lines of near vision and about one to two lines of intermediate vision, Mr. Kilcoyne said.

ReVision Optics has financial support from Canaan Partners, InterWest Partners, Domain Associates and ProQuest Investments, Mr. Kilcoyne said. – by Matt Hasson

• John Kilcoyne can be reached at ReVision Optics, 25651 Atlantic Ocean Drive, Suite A1, Lake Forest, CA 92630; 949-707-2740; fax: 949-707-2744; email: jkilcoyne@revisionoptics.com.
• Disclosure: Mr. Kilcoyne is president and CEO of ReVision Optics.