Lexington, KY – February 20, 2013

Omega Ophthalmics is pleased to announce that an application for a patent for a prosthetic capsular bag has been filed with the Australian Patent Office.

The patent application is for a “prosthetic capsular bag and method of inserting the same.” This patent application is the same as Omega’s previous patent, which has been granted in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Filed with the United States Patent Office in February 2012, Omega’s patent is 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.”

The patent is accompanied by various other patent families, including pending patents for the same technology in Europe, India, Japan, and several provisional United States and PCT patents.

Omega Ophthalmics has been conducting animal studies as part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for medical devices, and is slated to conduct human studies by the end of the year. 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. Human trials are scheduled to start later this year.

Omega CEO Rick Ifland notes that the issuance of the patent is a crucial first step in the FDA approval process. He notes: "Once again our IP team has done a stellar job in securing a vital patent, this time in Australia, an important market for our future growth.  We look forward to matriculating from research and development into reducing this technology to actual practice in the years ahead."

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.