Lexington, KY – June 7, 2015

Omega Ophthalmics is pleased to announce that a patent for Prosthetic Capsular Devices, Systems, and Methods has been issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

The patent for invention number 9,358,103 is for a “Prosthetic Capsular Devices, Systems, and Methods,” and contains protections surrounding methods for inserting high-technology devices inside the eye.

Omega CEO Rick Ifland notes that the issuance of the patent is a crucial step in protecting future applications for Omega's prosthetic capsular bag.

"This patent represents several years of hard work to protect potential applications for high technology inside the eye. If you look at other ocular technologies, there has been a natural progression from outside the eye to on the eye to inside the eye itself. With technologies like virtual and augmented reality on the horizon, we believe that they will someday be inside of the eye, and so we are quite pleased to receive issuance of this patent."

This most recent issuance is the third major family of patents in Omega's portfolio. Originally filed in February 2012, Omega’s core patent was granted for “[helping] to maintain the volume of the natural capsular bag, thereby stabilizing the effective lens position of an IOL so that refractive outcomes may be improved with cataract surgery. The prosthetic capsular bag further provides an integrated refractive surface, providing a means for experimentally determining an effective lens position prior to inserting an IOL.”

Omega's other patents have been issued in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan, and are accompanied by pending patents for the same technology in Australia, Europe, India, Japan, and several provisional United States and PCT patents.

Omega Ophthalmics has been conducting studies as part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for medical devices. Clinical animal studies has shown this capsular bag to be remarkably effective in helping maintain effective lens position as compared to other intraocular lenses, a critical component of cataracts surgery that determines whether or not a patient will need post-operative corrective lenses.

Cataract surgery is the single most common surgical procedure performed in the United States annually. With the global cataracts market currently projected to reach $4.3 billion by 2017, Omega’s capsular bag is well-positioned to become the new standard lens for cataract surgery.

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ABOUT OMEGA OPHTHALMICS

Omega Ophthalmics is a medical device company making significant advancements in the global ophthalmology industry through its patent-pending, proprietary technologies for intraocular lenses, capsular bags, and high technology applications within the eye. Founded by Gary Wörtz, MD and Rick Ifland, Omega is headquartered in Lexington, KY.

For more information about Omega Ophthalmics, contact Rick Ifland, CEO.

For more information about Omega's technology, contact Gary Wörtz, MD, CMO.