Staar Wins OK for Next Contact Lens Test

Staar Surgical Co. said it received Food and Drug Administration approval to begin the second phase of clinical trials of its implantable contact lenses to correct nearsightedness. The FDA will allow the Monrovia-based company to implant 62 of the lenses in patients. In the first phase of the trials, seven of the 10 patients tested improved their vision to 20/20, or perfect, from being legally blind without glasses. Shares of Staar Surgical rose $1.13 to close at $14.50 in Nasdaq trading. In July, Santa Barbara-based Mentor Corp. won the backing of an FDA panel for its implantable flexible eye lens for patients undergoing cataract surgery. On the same day, Allergan Inc. of Irvine also won an FDA panel’s backing for its multi-focus implantable eye lens. Staar Surgical’s lenses are implanted in the patient’s eye behind the iris and in front of the patient’s natural lens.