Blog by Jason Bacharach, MD

Ophthalmology is one of the most technologically driven subspecialties in medicine.

We are all intrigued with successful, driven professionals that set lofty goals and reach them. Self-described "serial entrepreneurs" and partners Jerry St. Peter and Jason Werner were fresh off their success with Sun Ophthalmics when they struck out on their own. Putting together private equity and investors, the pair launched Eyevance Pharmaceuticals in 2017 and by 2019, they had a commercial team in place with territory managers and multiple products on the market. In 2020, Eyevance was acquired by Santen thanks to the great team of people and commercial opportunities that Eyevance developed with unparalleled efficiency.

In July 2020, the FDA approved Upneeq for acquired blepharoptosis in adults. After having participated in the clinical trials, I am now finding it has significant clinical utility in my everyday practice — see my previous blog on Upneeq.

A few years back, our clinical research department was approached by Icon, a clinical research organization running what sounded like an interesting study.

The first time I learned about the Xen gel stent, it was 2014, and the device was in development with AqueSys; I was at a consultants’ meeting with Rick Lewis, MD, and many other innovative surgeons who were involved.

Procedural management of glaucoma is clearly not a passing trend. In fact, it may be the new normal that patients will come to expect and that providers prefer because of the outcomes.

So much of the world has changed because of COVID and yet some things remain constant.