We asked Newport Beach’s Bill Link which ophthalmic companies he’s keeping tabs on, and he pointed to these four.
• Aliso Viejo-based Vialase Inc. is developing an image-guided femtosecond laser surgical system for the treatment of glaucoma, based on Nobel Prize award-winning research from the University of California-Irvine. The company is helmed by Tibor Juhasz; his first startup IntraLase Corp. was acquired by Advanced Medical Optics in 2007.
• RxSight Inc. is commercializing its light-adjustable intraocular lens technology, which is designed to match vision needs to individual patients following cataract surgery. Link sits on the board of the Aliso Viejo-based company, which is backed by Flying L Partners and Visionary Ventures, and obtained FDA approval for its system in 2017.
• San Juan Capistrano’s Allegro Pharmaceuticals LLC is working on an injectable drug for the back of the eye to improve vision in age-related macular degeneration patients. The company has several drugs in ongoing clinical trials. Link joined its board in 2016.
• Ocutrx Vision Technologies LLC in Irvine is creating augmented reality-powered headsets for consumers and surgeons. Several OC companies have developed wearable eyewear using augmented reality to improve patients’ ability to form and recognize images. Link said he sees Ocutrx as the “leader emerging in the space.”
—Jessie Yount
