STAAR Surgical appoints former CEO David Bailey as Chief Commercial Officer

STAAR Surgical Company has appointed former chief executive officer David Bailey as its new Chief Commercial Officer. The former executive, who led the company from 2001 to 2008, will join the executive committee and report directly to current President and CEO Warren Foust. The appointment marks a strategic return for Bailey, who previously directed the commercialization of the company's Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICLs) across global markets.

Warren Foust characterized Bailey's return as a critical move to strengthen the company's revenue growth pillar. Foust noted that Bailey launched ICL commercialization in Asia and championed the development of the central port, an innovation that eliminated the need for a peripheral iridotomy. According to Foust, these earlier decisions facilitated the shift in market share from laser procedures to lens-based surgery, a trend that continues as laser refractive volumes stagnate or decline globally.

During his previous tenure, Bailey raised more than $60 million and secured the FDA approval of the ICL in 2005. He directed commercial launches in China, South Korea, and other Asian regions, and acquired STAAR's joint venture with Canon in Japan to secure exclusive control of the company's patents worldwide. By the end of his time at STAAR in 2011, international revenues accounted for 74% of the global total, and ICL revenues stood at approximately $32 million. The company reports that this specific revenue figure has since grown more than tenfold.

Bailey cited the durability of STAAR's proprietary Collamer material as a primary reason for his return. He stated that competitors have spent decades attempting to replicate this biocompatible platform without success. Bailey emphasized that EVO ICL offers a removable and reversible solution that preserves the natural cornea, addressing a broad spectrum of myopia and astigmatism. He identified significant growth opportunities in established markets such as China, Japan, and the United States, as well as in largely untapped populations across South and Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa.

The new Chief Commercial Officer outlined two objectives for the company's innovation roadmap: expanding clinical advantages over static laser technologies and opening new patient populations. Bailey described the current moment as an inflection point where EVO ICL is positioned to become the standard of care in refractive surgery. He brings more than 30 years of experience in ophthalmology and medical technology, having previously served as CEO of Sensimed and Medicem's U.S. women's health business. He is also the founder of DB Consulting, a Switzerland-based strategic advisory firm.

Bailey will join other STAAR executives at the 44th Congress of the ESCRS in London from September 11 to 15, 2026. The event will provide an opportunity for the company to engage with ophthalmic surgeons and industry leaders. STAAR Surgical, headquartered in Lake Forest, California, has sold more than 4 million ICLs in over 85 countries since 1982.