The FDA’s ability, or lack thereof, to churn out guidances is not always the stuff of industrial outrage, but manufacturers of laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) systems might find the timing of a new draft guidance on the procedure somewhat odd. The draft guidance arrives nearly a decade and a half after an April 2008 advisory hearing.

Abbvie Inc. and Istar Medical SA inked a deal to develop and commercialize Istar’s Miniject device to treat patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The minimally invasive glaucoma surgical (MIGS) device won CE mark approval in November and has been available in some European countries since early 2022.

The U.S. FDA gave the greenlight to Acufocus Inc. for its IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL) for the treatment of cataracts. Like most other IOLs implanted as part of cataract surgery, the small aperture Apthera provides excellent distance vision. It distinguishes itself by also providing clear intermediate and near vision, essentially eliminating the blurring of close objects or words common as people age and develop presbyopia.

Ophthalmic and microsurgery device maker Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is investing in regenerative medicine startup Precise Bio Ltd. to jointly develop 4D bio-fabricated corneal transplants for diseases that require endothelial keratoplasty and natural lenticule transplants. Under the terms of the agreement, Carl Zeiss Meditec will lead a series B financing round in Precise Bio and fund development of two cornea transplant products.

Envision Technologies BV’s latest artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart glasses for the blind and visually impaired are designed to help with reading, scanning faces and navigating everyday tasks. This visual assistant was introduced at California State University Northridge (CSUN) 2022 Assistive Technology Conference. Envision has updated its AI-based platform and ecosystem with improved optical character recognition (OCR) and better text recognition with contextual intelligence.

Meduni Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, is working on a novel eye scanner combining the structural and functional sensitivity of optical coherence tomography (OCT) with the chemical specificity of Raman spectroscopy, to acquire data from the living human eye.

After more than 10 years on the market in Europe, Staar Surgical Co. can finally see a brighter future for its newest lenses in the U.S. This week, the company received FDA premarket supplement approval of its Evo/Evo+ Visian implantable lens for the correction of myopia and myopia with astigmatism in patients aged 21 to 45. Made of a proprietary poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based collagen co-polymer the company calls Collamer, the lens is inserted behind the iris in a quick procedure and can be removed, if needed. Unlike laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), the Evo procedure does not remove corneal tissue.

A smart contacts lens that detects diabetes and treats diabetic retinopathy could provide patients with a more comfortable alternative to insulin shots and monitoring blood glucose levels. The product was developed by a research team at the Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) that includes Sei Kwang Hahn, the CEO of Seoul, South Korea-based Phi Biomed Co. Ltd.

Lumithera Inc. has completed the acquisition of Diopsys Inc. to expand its footprint of ocular disease care. Under the terms of the agreement, Pine Brook, N.J.-based Diopsys is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Poulsbo, Wash.-based Lumithera, with its electroretinography technology adding to Lumithera’s photobiomodulation (PBM) Valeda light delivery system for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment.