Bausch + Lomb acquires cataract lens maker AcuFocus

USA — Bausch + Lomb has acquired AcuFocus, a privately held ophthalmic medical device company, gaining its novel small aperture non-toric extended depth of focus (EDOF) intraocular lens (IOL) available in Australia and New Zealand.

Californian-based AcuFocus is known for its small aperture intraocular technology, spearheaded by the IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL).

The device was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2022 and is described as the first and only small aperture non-toric EDOF IOL for certain cataract patients who have as much as 1.5 diopters (1.5 D) of corneal astigmatism and wish to address presbyopia.

Using a small aperture, the intraocular lens filters out unfocused light entering the eye from around its periphery, funneling focused images toward the retina.

In the deal’s announcement, Bausch + Lomb said the approach can offer clear vision at a distance as well as the ability to correct for farsightedness, compared to mono-focal implants. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Known as the IC-8 IOL in global markets, the lens received CE mark in 2015 and is available in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and select markets across Europe.

According to B+L, the global premium cataract IOL market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 13% between 2022 and 2027.

“Cataracts are the largest contributor to global blindness in adults aged 50 years and older, with more than 15 million individuals, or approximately 45 percent of the more than 33 million cases of global blindness,” Bausch + Lomb CEO Joseph Papa said in a release, describing the field as a strategic area of focus for the company.

A statement announcing the merger said some available presbyopia-correcting IOLs have complex optics that split, shift or stretch light to provide clear vision at more than one discrete focal point.

However, the IC-8 Apthera IOL features proprietary small aperture technology that AcuFocus says enables both distance vision correction and near vision correction to mitigate the effects of presbyopia.

AcuFocus announced it had begun performing its first U.S. surgeries with the lens earlier this month, as part of a limited commercial release before a nationwide rollout slated for the second quarter of this year.

The IC-8 will join Bausch + Lomb’s portfolio of intraocular implants, which includes astigmatism- and presbyopia-correcting lenses, as well as a pipeline developing extended-range and trifocal lenses scheduled for launch within the next two to three years.

Mr. Al Waterhouse, president and CEO AcuFocus said B+L is “a legacy name in eyecare” with a fully integrated eye health portfolio.

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