IRVINE, Calif.--()--AcuFocus, Inc., creator of an innovative corneal inlay revolutionizing the treatment of near vision loss (presbyopia), is pleased to announce its position as a finalist in the 2012 Medical Design Excellence Awards for the KAMRA® inlay. The KAMRA inlay, an implant smaller than a contact lens and lighter than a grain of salt, is designed to reverse the effects of presbyopia and restore near and immediate vision.
The MDEA (www.MDEAwards.com) is the medical device industry’s premier design awards competition and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user-related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.
A comprehensive review of the entries was performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, and medicine and diagnostics.
“As a company, we’re excited to be recognized by the MDEA for our ongoing accomplishments in the medical device industry,” says Ed Peterson, CEO of AcuFocus. “The KAMRA inlay is the product of boundless hard work and innovation by our entire team which includes clinical input from surgeons around the world. In light of the ongoing acceptance of the inlay globally, with over 10,000 patients implanted today and high patient satisfaction, to also be chosen as a finalist for this esteemed award is a great honor.”
Finalists in each of the competition’s ten categories were officially announced in the April issue of Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry (www.mddionline.com). The winners will be announced on May 23, 2012, at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. MDEA-winning products will be honored at the ceremony with Bronze, Silver, or Gold-level awards in each category. One Gold-winning product will be awarded ‘Best-in-Show’.
For more information on the Medical Design Excellence Awards, visit www.MDEAwards.com, or e-mail mdea@ubm.com.
The KAMRA inlay is currently available in select markets across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South America, and has a CE mark for use in the European Union. It is currently an investigational device in the United States.
About AcuFocus
AcuFocus, Inc., a privately held company located in Irvine, California, was founded in 2001 by the Innovation Factory, a medical device incubator based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is currently developing the KAMRA® inlay for the treatment of near vision loss (presbyopia). For more information about AcuFocus, please visit www.AcuFocus.com. To learn more about the KAMRA® inlay, please visit www.KAMRA.com