LENSAR, Inc. (LNSR) Business
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1 Business text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Informational only - not investment advice. See Disclaimer.
Item 1. Business
We are a commercial-stage medical device company focused on designing, developing and marketing advanced laser systems for the treatment of cataracts and the management of pre-existing or surgically induced corneal astigmatism. Our current systems, the LENSAR Laser System, or LLS, and ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser System®, or ALLY System, or collectively, the Systems, incorporate a range of proprietary technologies designed to assist the surgeon in obtaining better visual outcomes, efficiency and reproducibility by providing advanced imaging, simplified procedure planning, efficient design and precision. We believe the cumulative effect of these technologies results in laser systems that can be quickly and efficiently integrated into a surgeon’s existing practice, is easy to use and provides surgeons the ability to deliver improved visual outcomes with enhanced precision and the ability to do so consistently. The ALLY System combines all of the features from our LLS with a dual-modality laser, integrated in a small, compact cataract treatment system that is designed to allow surgeons to perform sterile cataract surgery in a single operating room. This system is designed to be a significant medical advancement and provide improved efficiency and financial benefit to a surgeon’s practice and to ambulatory surgery centers, or ASCs. The ALLY System received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, in June 2022, and we executed a controlled and targeted initial launch of the ALLY System in August 2022. The ALLY System is available to all U.S. and EU cataract surgeons and has also received regulatory clearance in India, Taiwan, as well as certain other countries.
Market Overview
The global market for the treatment of cataracts is characterized by large patient populations with increases driven by the aging population and the availability of new technologies, such as laser systems used during cataract surgery and an influx of new, innovative intraocular lenses, or IOLs, which can improve visual outcomes post-operatively. Cataract surgery is one of the highest volume surgical procedures in the world, and according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, or AAO, the most common procedure performed by the ophthalmic surgeon. According to the 2025 Cataract Surgical Equipment Market Report, global estimated cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange surgical procedures (cataract surgery) are expected to grow from 33.1 million in 2025 to 39.6 million in 2030. In the United States, cataract surgery is expected to increase from almost 5.1 million procedures in 2025 to approximately 5.9 million in 2030. However, in 2025, only 1 million of the global cataract surgeries were performed using a laser. This is expected to grow to an estimated 1.2 million of the global cataract procedures in 2030. There are approximately 9,419 ophthalmic surgeons in the United States focused on performing cataract procedures.
Cataracts and Cataract Surgery
A cataract occurs when the normally clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy or opaque, causing a decrease in vision. The clouding of this lens caused by a cataract can cause blurring and distortion of vision, colors that seem faded, glare or halos from lights at night, diminished vision and double vision. Cataracts typically affect both eyes, but it is not uncommon for a cataract in one eye to advance more rapidly. In most cases, the cataract is a naturally occurring process that is age-related, although it can also be caused by heredity, an injury to the eye or after surgery for another eye problem, such as glaucoma. Currently, the only way to treat cataracts is to surgically remove the natural lens of the eye.
Traditional cataract surgeries are performed by a surgeon using a metal or diamond blade to perform the corneal incisions to enter the eye, and a bent needle to perform the anterior capsulorhexis to provide the surgeon access to the nucleus of the cataract for fragmentation and subsequent removal. Over the last decade, laser systems have been developed to assist surgeons in performing or facilitating these aspects of the cataract procedure, including assessing and fragmenting the cataract. In either case, cataract nucleus disassembly and removal is achieved using a process with ultrasound called phacoemulsification. Currently, Medicare and most commercial third-party payors only cover the cost of traditional cataract surgery and the placement of a monofocal IOL, which may not produce the targeted visual outcome. To achieve their targeted visual outcome, patients may elect to have an advanced procedure that involves use of a laser system and/or implantation of a premium IOL, and/or addresses their pre-existing astigmatism in which case the patient is responsible for the cost differential between the amount reimbursed by a third-party payor and the cost of the advanced procedure.
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The majority of patients suffering from cataracts also present with visually significant astigmatism. Astigmatism is an imperfection in the symmetry of the cornea, creating a different, additional focal plane in a specific axis within the cornea. This causes a distortion of the light as it converges on the retina and causes blurry vision. In 2025, Market Scope referenced data from a clinical study of 6,000 patients performed by Warren Hill, MD that estimates that approximately 70 – 90% of cataract patients present with addressable astigmatism prior to cataract surgery. To reduce the need for prescription distance or reading glasses following cataract surgery, it is important that little or no astigmatism remain. Conventionally, residual post-operative astigmatism has been targeted at less than or equal to 0.5 diopters, the unit measure of the refractive power of a lens. Surgeons may attempt to address low to moderate magnitudes of astigmatism using a procedure called limbal relaxing incisions, or LRIs, or arcuate incisions, or AIs. LRIs or AIs are performed by making two small incisions on the cornea, usually 180 degrees apart that are intended to return the cornea to a rounder, symmetrical shape. Corneal incisions used by surgeons as a means to manage astigmatism that are performed with a laser are referred to as AIs. More recently, and where the magnitude of astigmatism is higher, toric IOLs may be used to both correct the patient’s near or far vision and address any pre-existing astigmatism.
Use of a laser during cataract surgery. In the last 10 to 15 years, special laser systems have been developed to assist surgeons in performing or facilitating the various aspects of cataract procedures. The use of a laser during cataract surgery allows the surgeon to use advanced imaging techniques to design a precise surgical plan and a femtosecond laser, the same type of laser engine used to cut the flaps in LASIK corrective procedures, to make the AIs and perform the capsulorhexis. The intent is to create an incision with a specific location, depth and length that can be performed exactly without the variable of surgeon experience or the individual variances in the anatomy of the patient. The laser can also be used to soften and fragment the nucleus of the cataract before phacoemulsification, which can reduce the amount of phacoemulsification energy required to break up and remove the cataract and reduce the chance of certain complications. After phacoemulsification, the surgeon replaces the natural lens with an IOL and the incision is closed without the need for suture.
The Transition to Advanced Refractive Cataract Procedures
Currently, Medicare and most commercial third-party payors only cover the cost of treating the medical condition of the cataract, which can be accomplished with traditional cataract surgery and the placement of a monofocal IOL. Standard or traditional cataract surgery does not specifically address the outcomes associated with astigmatism and presbyopia, which may be addressed in an advanced refractive procedure involving the use of a laser during cataract surgery for cataract removal and implantation of a premium IOL. However, since the advantages of these advanced refractive cataract procedures are not deemed medically necessary, patients seeking either or both alternatives must pay the difference between the reimbursed amount and the cost of the advanced procedure that includes implantation of a premium IOL.
We believe that these advanced procedures that include implantation of a premium IOL offer physicians and patients additional benefits and improved outcomes that justify the additional cost. For example, some of the benefits of using a laser during cataract surgery include:
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Improved accuracy. Most laser systems cleared for the treatment of cataracts contain imaging tools that assist the surgeon in modeling the eye and developing a surgical plan for the procedure, including the precise placement and location of the capsulorhexis and identifying the axis of astigmatism in each patient. After the surgeon has developed and chosen the plan to proceed, the system itself can make the appropriate capsulotomy, including the incisions prescribed in the plan, without reliance on the surgeon’s manual capabilities to size, shape and locate the capsulorhexis, and appropriately place the AIs to minimize any further inducement of astigmatism. This is intended to optimize reproducibility and precision in the optimal placement of the capsulorhexis or location of the AIs, customized to each patient and IOL selection.
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Reproducibility. Studies have shown that laser capsulotomies are consistently more round and more precise in sizing to enable better centering and capsulorhexis overlap of the IOL and that IOL positioning is an important factor in determining visual outcomes minimizing the variances associated with manual techniques.
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Reduced complications and quicker visual recovery. By using a laser to soften and fragment the cataract before phacoemulsification, less phacoemulsification energy is required to emulsify and remove the cataract. This may make the procedure safer to the inner eye and reduce the chance of complications, such as cystoid macular edema, or swelling of the eye. Use of the laser also creates less endothelial cell loss than phacoemulsification alone, contributing to clearer corneas and quicker visual recovery after surgery.
Typically, patients undergoing an advanced refractive cataract procedure are paying a significant portion of the cost of the surgery out of pocket. As a result, they have heightened expectations for their visual outcomes, normally targeting vision correction within 0.5 diopters of their predicted refractive outcome, sometimes referred to as best uncorrected visual acuity. We believe these procedures and outcomes must appropriately address and manage the correction of the patient’s pre-existing astigmatism. Pre-existing astigmatism is frequently not being addressed in the preoperative surgical planning and more frequently is not part of the treatment. In many cases, we believe the failure to manage the astigmatism in such a large percentage of patients is due to the lack of useful technology in surgery. For example, research indicates that for each 1 degree that a toric IOL is off axis, its ability to reduce astigmatism is decreased by approximately 3.3%. To that end, very small errors in the measurements, calculations and treatments used in the cataract procedure can significantly decrease its effectiveness in achieving the targeted visual outcome. We believe this lack of precision can be attributed to one or more of the following limitations of procedures performed with competing laser systems:
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Imaging that requires manual inputs. Prior to performing a cataract surgery with most existing laser systems, the surgeon must manually identify and locate the pupil and anterior capsule to place the cursors necessary to perform the capsulorhexis. The result is more likely to be a capsulorhexis that likely is marginally better than a manual surgery by being more concentric and rounder but still reduces the accuracy and reproducibility of the laser to provide useful treatment for a surgeon. In addition, several competing laser systems do not measure automatically for lens tilt and adjust the laser treatment accordingly when fragmenting the natural lens.
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Inaccuracies that appear when managing astigmatism. Once the surgeon performs the appropriate calculations to determine the surgical plan, he or she will mark the eye with an ink marker to identify the proper steep axis of astigmatism used to accurately align the toric, trifocal or toric multifocal IOL. The reliability of these manual marks can be impacted by events as minor as manually transposing data from the office to the surgical record, the thickness of the marker or bleeding of the ink used when mixed with fluids. The accuracy is also impacted by the natural rotation of the patient’s eye when they move from the seated position when the measurements are taken, to a supine position for surgery. This rotation varies per patient, and the manual marking to orient the eye has to be started when the patient is seated and requires other markers before the ink marker. This can increase the cumulative effect of “stackable error,” contributing to a lack of precision in aligning the IOL.
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Inability to integrate with preoperative devices to guide surgical treatment. Surgeons use a variety of different devices such as corneal topographers and imaging to obtain the preoperative measurements and data needed to develop the treatment plan. Most competing laser systems are unable to integrate with many of these devices, leaving surgeons to manually input, set up, and develop the laser treatment plan.
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Deficient cataract density imaging system. Cataracts come in varying densities and lens compositions. These can range from soft, which are more easily removed with less energy, to very hard, which require much more energy, care and time during the phacoemulsification procedure. Many competing laser systems’ imaging does not provide useful data and cataract grading systems designed to assist the surgeon in choosing the optimal tissue specific treatments utilizing only the energies and fragmentation necessary to reduce the amount of phacoemulsification required, contributing to less cell loss and quicker visual recoveries.
As a result, we believe a significant opportunity exists for laser systems that can improve surgeon precision and assist in achieving targeted visual outcomes in patients with astigmatism.
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Our Products
We believe the inability to achieve the targeted visual outcome is largely due to a failure to appropriately address corneal astigmatism even when using competing laser systems. We believe this lack of precision can be attributed to several limitations of competing laser devices, including imaging systems that require manual inputs, inaccuracies that result from reliance on manually transposing data and manually marking the eye for treatment, and competing systems’ inability to use iris registration to integrate with preoperative devices. In addition, these devices may not have the ability to precisely, and in a reproducible basis through the imaging and measurement technology determine the location on optical axis or pupil center based on the surgeon's choice to place the anterior capsulorhexis. This can affect the outcomes due to less certain effective lens position with the IOL implantation. Competing devices also lack a cataract density imaging system, which allows the surgeon to customize the fragmentation and energy settings based on each individual patient’s cataract.
We developed our Systems to provide an alternative laser cataract treatment tool that allows the surgeon to better address astigmatism and improve visual outcomes. Our Systems incorporate a range of proprietary technology features that are designed to provide surgeons the following key benefits:
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Optimizing Surgeon and Robotic Interaction. Robotic intelligence and precision to help guide and optimize every step of the cataract procedure.
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Superior docking. The system’s robotics is designed to optimize patient engagement to enhance patient comfort and recovery.
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Robotic imaging. Our robotic imaging and processing technology collects a broad spectrum of biometric data and then reconstructs and presents a precise, three-dimensional model based on AI of each individual patient’s eye that is used to develop and implement the surgeon’s procedure plan.
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Robotic treatment planning. Using robotic imaging, our system develops and recommends a treatment plan designed to automate and perform various critical steps in the cataract procedure with the goal of providing surgeons with the confidence to perform these advanced procedures that include implantation of a premium IOL.
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Robotic precision and reproducibility. The system has multiple robotic features specifically designed to enable precise placement and centration of the IOL in patients in a consistent and reproducible manner that is not possible in manual cataract surgery or using competing laser systems.
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Efficient design. We designed the ergonomics of the system and its wireless capabilities to enable the system to integrate seamlessly into a surgeon’s existing surgical environment. According to Market Scope’s 2025 annual survey, over 75% of U.S. cataract surgeons, indicated the importance of data transfer between diagnostic devices as ‘required’ to ‘nice to have’.
We believe the cumulative effect of these technologies are advanced laser systems that can be quickly integrated into a surgeon’s existing practice and is easy to use. The Systems System provide surgeons the ability to deliver improved outcomes when addressing astigmatism in connection with cataract removal and to perform the surgery with enhanced precision and reproducibility.
We use artificial intelligence, AI, specifically machine learning, and automated decision-making technologies, including proprietary AI machine learning algorithms and models, collectively, AI Technologies, throughout our business. For example, we use AI Technologies in our ALLY System to register and analyze patients’ eyes and determine eye surface and cataract density, which is designed to helps optimize laser patterns and energy settings in cataract procedures, with the goal of minimizing the overall energy delivered in the eye for quicker visual recovery and better patient outcomes. We are in varying stages of development in relation to our products and internal business processes involving AI Technologies.
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We are focused on continuous innovation and continue to develop, and further refine, our proprietary, next-generation robotic laser, the ALLY System. Our ALLY System is designed to combine our current core laser technology features with enhanced capabilities into a single small unit that allows surgeons to perform a robotic laser assisted cataract procedure in an operating room. The ALLY System’s enhanced features include the ability to perform laser procedures much faster, as well as enabling broader applications due to it being the only commercial robotic laser incorporating a dual-modality laser. Our ALLY System received clearance from the FDA in June 2022, and we executed a controlled and targeted initial launch of the ALLY System beginning in August 2022. The ALLY System is available to all U.S. and EU cataract surgeons and has also received regulatory clearance in India, Taiwan, South Korea, as well as certain other countries.
Currently, almost all cataract procedures, whether manual or those using a laser, involve the use of a phacoemulsification system to fracture and remove the cataract. For most surgeons that also use a laser during cataract surgery, the laser system is stationed in a separate room from the phacoemulsification system, as the size of most operating rooms will not accommodate placement of all the other necessary equipment, and these two critical pieces of equipment operate independently. This configuration results in significant interruption in the patient flow, by requiring the patient to be moved from one room to the next during the course of the procedure.
We have designed our ALLY System to have a small footprint, allowing it to be placed in any operating room or in-office surgery suite, to allow the surgeon to switch seamlessly and quickly between cataract laser and the surgeon’s existing phacoemulsification device without moving patients from room-to-room. Importantly, this system was designed with the ergonomics in-mind to be used in the operating room or the in-office surgical suite. The footprint is significantly smaller than current laser systems and only slightly larger than stand-alone phacoemulsification systems. The additional enhancements to our existing laser technology that are incorporated into our ALLY System include a more versatile laser that uses pulse characteristics designed for tissue specific targeting with significantly faster speeds in different applications. Based on studies with ALLY System users, this system provides significant surgical workflow time savings and financial benefit to a surgeon’s practice and ASC or hospital.
We believe several converging marketplace factors will encourage adoption of our ALLY System. These include:
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the advent of many new types of advanced IOLs with complex optics, developed to correct near and distance vision with astigmatism, and the ability of the ALLY System to assist surgeons in optimizing the accurate positioning using any of these lenses to correct astigmatism for better visual outcomes;
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continued pressure to improve efficiencies driven by the reduction of reimbursement in standard cataract surgery cases coupled with the ability to provide better patient visual outcomes, which we believe will motivate surgeons and patients to seek refractive outcome-based patient-pay procedures; and
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the COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of efficiencies associated with faster patient throughput, less movement from having to use two rooms to complete an advanced cataract procedure, fewer patient encounters to plan, treat and to complete the advanced cataract procedure, placing the system in the ASC, operating room or in-office surgical suite. Early data suggests performing a sterile robotic laser cataract surgery procedure using the ALLY System resulted in up to 17-minute time savings for the surgeon, up to 19-minute time savings for the surgical staff, and up to 51-minute savings for the patient, allowing surgeons to shorten their surgery day or treat more patients.
According to the 2025 Cataract Surgical Equipment Market Report, there were an estimated 2,085 cataract laser systems installed at the end of 2025, of which 1,960 were in markets that we service. The number of total cataract laser systems installed is expected to grow to over 2,475 devices by 2030.
To help encourage and facilitate this transition to our ALLY System, we are focused on reducing the cost of the system without compromising the capabilities or performance of the laser. With that in mind, the ALLY System was designed to offer more functionality and better performance than other laser systems. We believe the ALLY System's surgical efficiencies and combined functions could help drive broader penetration into the cataract surgery market and could potentially create a paradigm shift in the treatment of cataracts and management of astigmatism in cataract surgery. The overall cost of the ALLY System, may, however, increase due to, among other factors, pricing increases in component parts for our systems resulting from inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions.
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Our Strengths
We attribute our current and anticipated future success to the following factors:
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Disruptive technology platform providing improved visual outcomes. Our systems were built specifically for laser refractive cataract surgery. Central to our systems is our propriety robotic imaging technology, which begins by using Scheimpflug imaging to scan the anterior segment of the eye, collecting a broad spectrum of biometric data. The system then uses a process called wave-tracing to take a series of two-dimensional images derived from the imaging and scanning and, through precision processing of this biometric data using AI, reconstructs a three-dimensional model of each individual patient’s eye. The system identifies relevant anatomy and specific measurements within the eye, then recommends a treatment plan for their review and approval. With robotic precision, the laser places the laser pulses necessary to accomplish the desired treatment. Data presented at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons demonstrated 99% of patients receiving a toric IOL using the ALLY System, and guided by the IntelliAxis Refractive Capsulorhexis feature of the system, achieved refractive correction within 0.5 diopters of target. In addition to improving visual outcomes, our systems are designed to improve the efficiency and simplify the procedure for surgeons by including pre-programmable surgeon preferences, wireless integration with pre-operative diagnostic data, cataract density imaging, and accurate laser incision planning. We believe these features give surgeons an unprecedented reproducibility and ability to optimize their treatments to achieve LASIK-like vision correction while also improving overall efficiency for the surgeon’s practice.
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Demonstrated and growing commercial success. We believe our disruptive technology platform has enabled us to rapidly take market share in a highly competitive market. Based on the 2025 Cataract Surgical Equipment Market Report, it was estimated that we achieved 18.0% market share in laser cataract surgery in 2024 in terms of revenue. Additionally, when looking at the average procedures per installed device, each ALLY System averaged 624 procedures in 2025 compared to the estimated industry average of 496 procedures per year per installed device, based on a 2025 Cataract Surgical Equipment Market Report. The following chart shows procedure volume per year from 2021 to 2025:
Procedures per Year
Source: Management.
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Improved visual outcomes that drive more advanced, patient-pay procedures. Standard cataract procedures are generally covered by Medicare and other third-party payors, including commercial health plans. However, based on the 2025 Market Scope Premium Cataract Surgery Market Report, approximately 91% of global patients receiving a standard cataract procedure do not have significant astigmatism addressed surgically and must rely on glasses for distance or near vision. Moreover, surgeon reimbursement for these standard procedures continues to decline. More advanced procedures, such as laser-assisted cataract surgery and the use of toric and multifocal premium IOLs, can address these additional vision challenges but are generally not covered by Medicare or other third-party payors. Accordingly, patients are required to pay the additional cost associated with the use of these advanced technologies. Historically, some patients may have been reluctant to incur the additional cost of a more advanced procedure that includes implantation of a premium IOL, and some surgeons may have been reluctant to recommend these procedures because of concerns that the targeted visual outcome might not be achieved. We believe the clinical data supporting the effectiveness of our laser system in assisting surgeons to achieve desired outcomes will motivate additional patients to seek, and additional surgeons to offer, these more advanced procedures that include implantation of a premium IOL.
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Focus on innovation to facilitate surgeon adoption. Our systems encompass improved innovations such as wireless capability, advanced imaging, iris registration, and other features to improve their effectiveness and enhance efficiency. We have designed the ALLY System to be a compact robotic laser cataract treatment system to operate in an operating room or in-office surgical suite and allow the surgeon to switch seamlessly and quickly between laser and phacoemulsification without moving patients from room-to-room. We believe these innovations, which are intended to improve patient flow and efficiency, have the potential to allow surgeons to perform more premium procedures each surgery day, helping them to meet the expected increase in demand for cataract/refractive lens exchange surgical procedures.
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Innovative intellectual property protected by a comprehensive patent portfolio. As of December 31, 2025, we owned approximately 292 issued patents and 105 pending patent applications globally. This portfolio covers key aspects of our technology, including the proprietary robotic imaging and processing, iris registration and patient interface features of our system. We have also filed and acquired significant patent rights relating to our next generation cataract treatment system. For example, we have approximately 11 pending US patent applications, 19 issued US patents, 60 pending foreign and PCT applications, and 34 issued foreign patents related to integrated systems.
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Proven management team and board of directors. Our senior management team and board of directors consist of seasoned medical device professionals with deep industry experience. Our team has successfully led and managed dynamic growth phases in organizations and commercialized several products specifically in the cataract and refractive surgery field. Members of our team have worked with well-regarded, ophthalmology-focused medical technology companies such as Chiron Corporation, Alcon Inc., Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., Allergan, Inc., Bausch + Lomb and STAAR Surgical.
While we believe these factors will contribute to further growth and success, we cannot assure you that the market for cataract surgery will continue to grow as we anticipate or that new disruptive technologies will not be introduced to displace our laser systems. Moreover, we must maintain and grow market acceptance for our laser systems and convince physicians and patients that the out-of-pocket costs associated with procedures that use our laser systems will produce their targeted results. If we are unable to accomplish those goals, our business could suffer.
Technology
Our LLS and ALLY System have been built specifically for refractive cataract surgery, and at the core of our commitment to continuous technological innovation is our focus on providing cataract surgeons the tools to deliver their patients improved outcomes. The key technological features of our system include:
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IntelliAxis Refractive Capsulorhexis: Designed to improve precision and accuracy in outcome-based astigmatic cataract procedures, this proprietary technology enables precise marks to be placed on the
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capsulorhexis on the steep axis using advanced iris registration to guide toric IOL placement and alignment, both during and after the surgical procedure.
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Proprietary Robotic Imaging: Our patented robotic imaging technology provides a surgeon with a sophisticated, three-dimensional view of a patient’s eye. This enhanced view reflects each patient’s own unique eye size and shape, then, using proprietary software it identifies relevant anatomy within the patient’s eye, and recommends where to precisely place the laser pulses necessary to accomplish the desired treatment. Surgeons are then able to develop better-informed approaches and subsequent treatment for refractive cataract surgical procedures. This technology also simplifies the procedure for surgeons by including pre-programmable surgeon preferences, wireless integration with pre-operative diagnostic data, cataract density imaging for using the lowest energy needed to treat, and accurate laser incision planning. We believe this improves the efficiency and reproducibility of the procedure for surgeons.
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Wireless Transfer of Pre-Operative Data: Pre-operative diagnostic data can be transferred wirelessly from many preoperative corneal topographers and diagnostic devices to our system, which can guide more precise astigmatism planning and reduce or eliminate risks associated with transcription errors and manually marking the eye.
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Pre-Operative Data Analysis: With the assistance of our clinical applications and clinical outcomes groups, practices’ individualized astigmatism treatment protocols can be refined and customized based on site specific pre-, intra-, and post-operative data, with the objective to help surgeons to deliver incrementally better patient outcomes over time as compared to earlier generations.
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Cataract Density Imaging: Another unique aspect of our AI imaging system is the ability of the system to grade and compare the cataract density and tissue specific areas to treat within the lens nucleus. The benefit of this is the surgeon can customize the treatment and deliver only the energy and fragmentation patterns necessary to optimally treat the cataract based on the System’s recommendation. This not only increases efficiency in removal of the cataract when the surgeon gets to the phacoemulsification, but also provides the surgeon choices in pre-programmed treatment algorithms or their own customized preferences in the energy and fragmentation parameters based on their surgical technique. These can be stored and used each time the system identifies a cataract with similar characteristics.
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Corneal Incision-Only Mode: By allowing a surgeon to perform laser corneal incisions independent of capsulorhexis and fragmentation, the surgeon has greater flexibility to treat a patient who may benefit from post-operative arcuate incisions and may achieve greater efficiency with abbreviated scanning that omits lens boundaries.
Sales and Distribution
We have built and are continuing to grow our commercial organization, which includes a direct sales force in the United States and third-party distributors in Europe and Asia, and other targeted international markets. Depending on the dynamics of a particular geographic region, we and our distributors typically market and sell our systems to ASCs, hospitals and physicians. In the United States, we sell our products through a direct sales organization that, as of December 31, 2025, consisted of approximately 70 commercial team professionals, including regional sales managers, clinical applications and outcomes specialists, field service, marketing, technical and customer support personnel. As of December 31, 2025, we had a total of approximately 435 systems installed in a total of 17 countries, with approximately 51% of those systems in the United States where we have a direct sales relationship with our customers, and with Europe and Asia representing our largest markets outside the United States, where we sell our products through distributor relationships. We believe there is significant opportunity for us to expand our presence in these countries and other countries where we have no or only a limited number of installed systems. For the year ended December 31, 2025, one customer accounted for approximately 13% of our revenue and no customer accounted for more than 10% of our accounts receivable, net.
We have been able to achieve our success to date with a limited number of regional sales managers in the United States and independent distributors in international markets, growing our business substantially year-over-year in terms of both revenues and number of procedures, with the exception of 2020 due to the impact on our operations of
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the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that increasing the size and geographic breadth of our sales and marketing management team and number of regional sales managers in the United States and expanding our network of independent distributors in additional international markets will allow further penetration in the cataract surgery market. To support these commercial efforts, in the United States, we anticipate adding additional field sales professionals, including clinical outcome specialists, and expanding our marketing support and commitment to physician and staff training programs to optimize results and communicate the strengths of our cataract surgery solutions. Outside the United States, we expect to expand the geographical reach of our distributors. We believe the expansion of our domestic and international commercialization efforts will provide us with significant opportunity for future growth as we continue to penetrate existing and new markets. Our ALLY System currently is cleared for marketing in the United States and other countries, and our growth, market presence and ability to sell the ALLY System will depend on, among other factors, whether the ALLY System receives regulatory clearance in other regions outside the United States and the timing of these clearances or certifications. In August 2024, we obtained certification of our ALLY System under the Medical Devices Regulation in the EU, and we have also received regulatory clearance in India, Taiwan, South Korea, and certain other countries.
Manufacturing
We manufacture our ALLY Systems, and previously manufactured our LLS systems, at a facility in Orlando, Florida. We purchase custom and off-the-shelf components from several suppliers and subject them to stringent quality specifications and processes. Some of the components necessary for the assembly of the ALLY System and maintenance of the LLS are currently provided by single-sourced suppliers (the only approved supply source for us among other sources). We have entered into various purchase orders, as well as a limited number of long-term supply agreements, for the manufacture and supply of certain components. These arrangements commit us to a remaining minimum purchase obligation of approximately $13.9 million as of December 31, 2025. We expect to meet these requirements. We generally do not maintain large volumes of finished goods. We currently have and intend to have long-term supply agreements or sufficient supply of raw material inventory to adequately source the expected near-term demand of our ALLY System. We strive to maintain enough inventory of our various component parts to avoid the impact of any supply chain disruptions.
Intellectual Property
We seek patent and trademark protection for our key technology, products and product improvements, both in the United States and in select foreign countries. We plan to continue to enforce and defend our patent and trademark rights. While our patents protect, among other things, the aspects of our technology that provide us with a competitive advantage, we also rely upon trade secrets and continuing technological innovations to develop and maintain our competitive position. In an effort to protect our trade secrets, we have a policy of requiring our employees, consultants and advisors to execute proprietary information and invention assignment agreements upon commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements also provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of their relationship with us must be kept confidential, except in specified circumstances.
We own numerous issued patents and pending patent applications. As of December 31, 2025, we owned approximately 76 U.S. patents, 26 pending U.S. patent applications, 216 issued foreign patents, and 79 pending foreign and Patent Cooperation Treaty applications. Our patents are expected to expire between 2026 and 2040, with some design patents expiring in 2046. We do not believe that the expiration of any individual patent will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We have 216 issued foreign patents in a total of 15 countries and regions, including China, Macau, Taiwan, Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, European Unitary Patent and the European Patent Office. Our patents contain a broad range of claims related to devices and methods for performing cataract surgery using, among other things, refractive corrections, lens targeting and positioning and we believe provide significant protection for our current commercialized products.
Our material registered and unregistered trademarks include: LENSAR, ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser System, INTELLIAXIS, INTELLIAXIS-C, INTELLIAXIS-L, INTELLIAXIS REFRACTIVE CAPSULORHEXIS, STREAMLINE, ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser System, ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser System logo, Robotic Laser Cataract Surgery, the Robotic Laser Cataract Surgery logo, and LENSDOCTOR SOFTWARE.
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Our intellectual property portfolio further secures a premier technology position for the development and commercialization of devices that incorporate both a phacoemulsification system and a laser, such as our ALLY System. In addition to patent applications we have filed related to our Systems, we have pursued and consummated agreements with third parties to acquire patent rights, which provide important exclusivity with respect to our development and commercialization of our ALLY System. Our business plan includes aggressively pursuing additional patent rights related to the ALLY System, and we expect to continue to add to our current portfolio.
Competition
We participate in the highly competitive global market for treatments for cataracts. We face significant competition from large multinational medical device companies as well as smaller, emerging players focused on product innovation. In providing surgical solutions for cataract patients, our primary competitors are Alcon Inc.; Bausch + Lomb, a division of Bausch Health Companies Inc.; Carl Zeiss AG; AMO, a division of Johnson & Johnson; and Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG, each of which has its own cataract lasers. Additionally, we are aware of a French based company, KERANOVA S.A., that is working to develop a product that, if they receive commercial clearance for their device in the future, could potentially be another competitor.
These competitors are focused on bringing new technologies to market and acquiring products and technologies that directly compete with our products or have potential product advantages that could render our products obsolete or noncompetitive. Bausch + Lomb announced, in November 2025, that they anticipate launching a second-generation femtosecond laser in the second half of 2026. The next-gen laser, SeeLyra™ is said to feature live optical coherence tomography guidance and soft docking. Although not all the features are known currently, this will be the first second-generation laser expected to compete with the ALLY System.
Many of these competitors are large public companies or divisions of publicly-traded companies and have several competitive advantages, including:
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greater financial and human resources for product development and sales and marketing;
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significantly greater name recognition;
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their own IOLs;
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longer operating histories; and
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more established sales and marketing programs and distribution networks.
Because of the size of the cataract market, we expect that companies will continue to dedicate significant resources to developing and commercializing competing products, and we anticipate that our current marketed products and any future products will be subject to intense competition. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our market include:
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improved outcomes for patients;
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acceptance by surgeons;
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ease of use and reliability;
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product price and availability of reimbursement;
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product bundling and multiple product purchasing agreements;
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technical leadership;
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effective marketing and distribution; and
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speed to market.
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Regulation
United States
We manufacture and market medical devices and, therefore, are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities in the United States, as well as comparable authorities in foreign jurisdictions. Our products are subject to regulation in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, as implemented and enforced by the FDA. The FDA regulates the development, design, non-clinical and clinical research, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, installation, servicing, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval, adverse event reporting, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution, and import and export of medical devices to ensure that medical devices distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses and otherwise meet the requirements of the FDCA.
FDA Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements
Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of control needed to ensure safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to FDA’s general controls for medical devices, or General Controls, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the FDA’s Quality Management System Regulation, or QMSR, facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and appropriate, truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Some Class I devices also require premarket clearance by the FDA through the 510(k) premarket notification process described below. Class II devices are subject to FDA’s General Controls, and any other special controls as deemed necessary by FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. Premarket review and clearance by the FDA for Class II devices is accomplished through the 510(k) premarket notification procedure, unless an exemption applies. A Class III product is a product which has a new intended use or uses advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device. The safety and effectiveness of Class III devices cannot be assured solely by the General Controls and the other requirements described above. These devices almost always require formal clinical studies to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. Our currently marketed medical device products are Class II medical devices subject to 510(k) clearance.
510(k) Clearance Marketing Pathway
When a 510(k) is required, the manufacturer must submit to the FDA a premarket notification submission demonstrating that the device is “substantially equivalent” to a predicate device already on the market. A predicate device is a legally marketed device that is not subject to premarket approval, i.e., a device that was legally marketed prior to May 28, 1976 (pre-amendments device) and for which a premarket approval application, or PMA, is not required, a device that has been reclassified from Class III to Class II or I, or a device that was found substantially equivalent through the 510(k) process.
If the FDA agrees that the device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device, it will grant clearance to commercially market the device in the U.S. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to twelve months from the date the application is submitted and filed with the FDA but may take significantly longer and clearance is never assured. Although many 510(k) pre-market notifications are cleared without clinical data, in some cases, the FDA requires significant clinical data to support substantial equivalence. In reviewing a pre-market notification, the FDA may request additional information, including clinical data, which may significantly prolong the review process. If the FDA determines that the device, or its intended use, is not “substantially equivalent,” the FDA may deny the request for clearance.
After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any subsequent modification of the device that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, will require a new 510(k) clearance or could require pre-market approval. The FDA requires each manufacturer to make this determination initially, but the FDA may review any such decision and may disagree with a manufacturer’s determination. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s determination, the FDA may require the manufacturer to cease marketing or recall the modified device, or both, until 510(k) clearance or pre-market approval is obtained.
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FDA PMA Approval Process
Products that are classified as Class III are subject to the requirement for the FDA to approve a PMA for the device. A PMA application, which is intended to demonstrate that a device is safe and effective, must be supported by extensive data, including extensive technical and manufacturing data and data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. After a PMA application is submitted and filed, the FDA begins an in-depth review of the submitted information, which typically takes between one and three years, but may take significantly longer. During this review period, the FDA may request additional information or clarification of information already provided. Also, during the review period, an advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA will usually be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device. In addition, the FDA will conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility to ensure compliance with the QMSR, which imposes stringent design development, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures in the design and manufacturing process. The FDA may approve a PMA application with post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution and collection of long-term follow-up data from patients in the clinical study that supported approval. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in materially adverse enforcement action, including the loss or withdrawal of the approval. New PMA applications or PMA supplements are required for significant modifications to the manufacturing process, labeling of the product and design of a device that is approved through the PMA process. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as an original PMA, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA, and may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel.
A clinical trial is typically required to support a PMA application and is sometimes required for a 510(k) pre-market notification. Clinical trials generally require submission of an application for an Investigational Device Exemption, or IDE, to the FDA. The IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory testing results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the investigational protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE application must be approved in advance by the FDA for a specified number of patients, unless the product is deemed a non-significant risk device and eligible for more abbreviated IDE requirements. Clinical trials for a significant risk device may begin once the IDE application is approved by the FDA as well as the appropriate institutional review boards at the clinical trial sites, and the informed consent of the patients participating in the clinical trial is obtained. After a trial begins, the FDA may place it on hold or terminate it if, among other reasons, it concludes that the clinical subjects are exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Any trials we conduct must be conducted in accordance with FDA regulations as well as other federal regulations and state laws concerning human subject protection and privacy.
Post-Market Regulation
After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive FDA and other regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include establishment registration and device listing with the FDA; compliance with medical device reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA if their device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur; and compliance with corrections and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health. The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) also regulate the advertising and promotion of our products to ensure that the claims we make are consistent with our regulatory clearances, that there is scientific data to substantiate the claims and that our advertising is neither false nor misleading. In general, we may not promote or advertise our products for uses not within the scope of our intended use statement in our clearances or make unsupported safety and effectiveness claims. Many regulatory jurisdictions outside of the United States have similar regulations to which we are subject.
We are also required to register with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer. As such, our manufacturing sites are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA for compliance with the FDA’s QMSR. These regulations cover the methods and the facilities and controls for the design, manufacture, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, distribution, installation and servicing of finished devices intended for human use. The QMSR also requires, among other things, maintenance of a medical device file. As a manufacturer, we are subject to periodic scheduled or unscheduled inspections by the FDA. Our failure to maintain compliance with the QMSR requirements
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could result in the shut-down of, or restrictions on, our manufacturing operations and the recall or seizure of our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. The discovery of previously unknown problems with any of our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of increasing severity or frequency, whether resulting from the use of the device within the scope of its clearance or off-label by a physician in the practice of medicine, could result in restrictions on the device, including the removal of the product from the market via voluntary or mandatory device recalls.
The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that we failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, which may result in any of the following sanctions:
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warning letters, untitled letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
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recalls, withdrawals, or administrative detention or seizure of our products;
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operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
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refusing or delaying requests for 510(k) marketing clearance or PMA approvals of new products or modified products;
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withdrawing 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals that have already been granted;
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refusal to grant export approvals for our products; or
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criminal prosecution.
Requirements for Surgical Lasers as Radiation Emitting Products
In addition to the requirements that apply to medical devices, our devices must also comply with an independent set of requirements that apply to radiation emitting electronic products, which includes lasers. Under the electronic product radiation control provisions of the FDCA, the FDA has established regulations specifying certain requirements for different types of radiation emitting electronic products. Among other requirements, manufacturers of surgical lasers must comply with FDA regulations that establish performance standards for laser products and require that manufacturers of products subject to performance standards submit reports to FDA demonstrating compliance. Unless otherwise exempted, manufacturers of certain radiation emitting devices must submit certain reports to FDA, including for new and modified products, for product defects, and annual reports, and comply with recordkeeping requirements. FDA regulations also provide specific certification and labeling requirements, and the labels for these products must contain certain information, such as warnings, declarations, and instructions for use.
Outside the United States
In order for us to market our products in countries outside the United States, we must obtain regulatory approvals, clearances or certifications and comply with extensive product and quality system regulations in other countries. These regulations, including the requirements for approvals, clearance or certifications and the time required for regulatory review, vary from country to country. Some countries have regulatory review processes which are substantially longer than the U.S. process. Failure to obtain regulatory authorizations, certifications or approvals in a timely manner and to meet all local requirements including language and specific safety standards in any foreign country in which we plan to market our products could prevent us from marketing products in such countries or subject us to sanctions and fines.
The EU has adopted specific directives and regulations regulating the design, manufacture, clinical investigations, conformity assessment, labeling and vigilance reporting for medical devices.
Until May 25, 2021, medical devices were regulated by Council Directive 93/42/EEC, or the EU Medical Devices Directive, which has been repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) No 2017/745, or the EU Medical Devices Regulation. Some of our current certificates have been granted under the EU Medical Devices Directive. In accordance
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with the EU Medical Devices Regulation’s recently extended transitional provisions, both (i) devices lawfully placed on the market pursuant to the EU Medical Devices Directive prior to May 26, 2021 and (ii) legacy devices lawfully placed on the EU market after May 26, 2021 in accordance with the EU Medical Devices Regulation transitional provisions may generally continue to be made available on the market or put into service, provided that the requirements of the transitional provisions are fulfilled. However, even in this case, manufacturers must comply with a number of new or reinforced requirements set forth in the EU Medical Devices Regulation with regard to registration of economic operators and of devices, post-market surveillance and vigilance requirements.
Pursuing marketing of medical devices in the EU will notably require that our devices be certified under the new regime set forth in the EU Medical Devices Regulation.
In the EU, there is currently no premarket government review of medical devices. However, the EU requires that all medical devices placed on the market in the EU must meet the general safety and performance requirements laid down in Annex I to the EU Medical Devices Regulation including the requirement that a medical device must be designed and manufactured in such a way that, during normal conditions of use, it is suitable for its intended purpose. Medical devices must be safe and effective and must not compromise the clinical condition or safety of patients, or the safety and health of users and – where applicable – other persons, provided that any risks which may be associated with their use constitute acceptable risks when weighed against the benefits to the patient and are compatible with a high level of protection of health and safety, taking into account the generally acknowledged state of the art. The European Commission has adopted various standards applicable to medical devices. These include standards governing common requirements, such as sterilization and safety of medical electrical equipment and product standards for certain types of medical devices. There are also harmonized standards relating to design and manufacture. While not mandatory, compliance with these standards is viewed as the easiest way to satisfy the general safety and performance requirements as a practical matter as it creates a rebuttable presumption that the device satisfies that general safety and performance requirements.
Compliance with the general safety and performance requirements of the EU Medical Devices Regulation is a prerequisite for European conformity marking, or CE mark, without which medical devices cannot be marketed or sold in the EU. To demonstrate compliance with the general safety and performance requirements medical device manufacturers must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its (risk) classification. As a general rule, demonstration of conformity of medical devices and their manufacturers with the general safety and performance requirements must be based, among other things, on the evaluation of clinical data supporting the safety and performance of the products during normal conditions of use. Specifically, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the device achieves its intended performance during normal conditions of use, that the known and foreseeable risks, and any adverse events, are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended performance, and that any claims made about the performance and safety of the device are supported by suitable evidence. Except for low-risk medical devices (Class I), where the manufacturer can issue an EU declaration of conformity based on a self-assessment of the conformity of its products with the general safety and performance requirements (except for any parts which relate to sterility, metrology or reuse aspects), a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of a notified body. Notified bodies are independent organizations designated by EU member states to assess the conformity of devices before being placed on the market. A notified body would typically audit and examine a product’s technical dossiers and the manufacturer’s quality system (notified body must presume that quality systems which implement the relevant harmonized standards – which is ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Devices Quality Management Systems – conform to these requirements). If satisfied that the relevant product conforms to the relevant general safety and performance requirements, the notified body issues a certificate of conformity, which the manufacturer uses as a basis for its own declaration of conformity. The manufacturer may then apply the CE mark to the device, which allows the device to be placed on the market throughout the EU.
Throughout the term of the certificate of conformity, the manufacturer will be subject to periodic surveillance audits to verify continued compliance with the applicable requirements. In particular, there will be a new audit by the notified body before it will renew the relevant certificate(s).
The EU Medical Devices Regulation requires that before placing a device, other than a custom-made device, on the market, manufacturers (as well as other economic operators such as authorized representatives and importers) must register by submitting identification information to the electronic system (Eudamed), unless they have already
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registered. The information to be submitted by manufacturers (and authorized representatives) also includes the name, address and contact details of the person or persons responsible for regulatory compliance. The new Regulation also requires that before placing a device, other than a custom-made device, on the market, manufacturers must assign a unique identifier to the device and provide it along with other core data to the unique device identifier, or UDI database. These new requirements aim at ensuring better identification and traceability of the devices. Each device – and as applicable, each package – will have a UDI composed of two parts: a device identifier, or UDI-DI, specific to a device, and a production identifier, or UDI-PI, to identify the unit producing the device. Manufacturers are also notably responsible for entering the necessary data on Eudamed, which includes the UDI database, and for keeping it up to date. The obligations for registration in Eudamed will become applicable on May 28, 2026 (for the four first modules related to (i) economic actor and (ii) UDI/devices registrations, (iii) notified bodies and certificates, and (iv) market surveillance). Until Eudamed is fully functional, the corresponding provisions of the EU Medical Devices Directive continue to apply for the purpose of meeting the obligations laid down in the provisions regarding exchange of information, including, and in particular, information regarding registration of devices and economic operators.
All manufacturers placing medical devices into the market in the EU must comply with the EU Medical Device Vigilance System which has been reinforced by the EU Medical Devices Regulation. Under this system, serious incidents and Field Safety Corrective Actions, or FSCAs, must be reported to the relevant authorities of the EU member states. These reports will have to be submitted through Eudamed - once functional - and aim to ensure that, in addition to reporting to the relevant authorities of the EU member states, other actors such as the economic operators in the supply chain will also be informed. Until Eudamed is fully functional, the corresponding provisions of the EU Medical Devices Directive continue to apply. Manufacturers are required to take FSCAs, which are defined as any corrective action for technical or medical reasons to prevent or reduce a risk of a serious incident associated with the use of a medical device that is made available on the market. A serious incident is any malfunction or deterioration in the characteristics and/or performance of a device on the market (e.g., inadequacy in supplied by the manufacturer, undesirable side-effect), which, directly or indirectly, might lead to either the death or serious deterioration of the health of a patient, user, or other persons, or to a serious public health threat. An FSCA may include the recall, modification, exchange, destruction or retrofitting of the device. FSCAs must be reported to the relevant authorities of the EU member states, and communicated by the manufacturer or its legal representative to its customers and/or to the end users of the device through Field Safety Notices. For similar serious incidents that occur with the same device or device type and for which the root cause has been identified or a FSCA implemented or where the incidents are common and well documented, manufacturers may provide periodic summary reports instead of individual serious incident reports.
Manufacturers (and authorized representatives) must also have available within their organization at least one person responsible for regulatory compliance, or PRRC, who possesses the requisite expertise in the field of medical devices. The PRRC is responsible for all aspects of compliance with the requirements of the EU Medical Devices Regulation and in particular compliance with post-market surveillance and vigilance requirements.
The advertising and promotion of medical devices is subject to some general principles set forth in the EU legislation. According to the EU Medical Devices Regulation, only devices that are CE-marked may be marketed and advertised in the EU in accordance with their intended purpose. Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, while not specific to the advertising of medical devices, also apply to the advertising thereof and contain general rules, for example, requiring that advertisements are evidenced, balanced and not misleading. Specific requirements are defined at a national level. EU member states’ laws related to the advertising and promotion of medical devices, which vary between jurisdictions, may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of products to the general public and may impose limitations on promotional activities with healthcare professionals.
In the EU, regulatory authorities have the power to carry out announced and, if necessary, unannounced inspections of companies, as well as suppliers and/or sub-contractors and, where necessary, the facilities of professional users. Failure to comply with regulatory requirements (as applicable) could require time and resources to respond to the regulatory authorities’ observations and to implement corrective and preventive actions, as appropriate. Regulatory authorities have broad compliance and enforcement powers and if such issues cannot be resolved to their satisfaction can take a variety of actions, including untitled or warning letters, fines, consent decrees, injunctions, or civil or criminal penalties.
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The aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the European Economic Area, or EEA, which consists of the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Brexit and the UK Regulatory Framework
Since January 1, 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, has become the sovereign regulatory authority responsible for the Great Britain (i.e., England, Wales, and Scotland) medical device market and the EU regulatory regime for medical devices no longer applies in Great Britain. Under the terms of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, the EU regulatory requirements continue to apply to medical devices placed on the Northern Ireland market. Consequently, the regulatory framework for medical devices in Great Britain continues to be broadly based on the requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive as implemented into national law by the Medical Devices Regulation 2002 (“UK Medical Devices Regulations”).
Furthermore, on June 16, 2025, an amendment to UK Medical Devices Regulations became applicable which aims to clarify and strengthen the post-market surveillance requirements for medical devices in Great Britain. This amendment also aims to facilitate greater traceability of incidents and trends enabling the MHRA to act swiftly when needed to address safety issues and support the entire health system in better protecting patients. In addition, the MHRA launched a consultation from November 14, 2024 to January 5, 2025 on proposals to update the pre-market requirements for medical devices in Great Britain, covering four topics, namely (1) a new international reliance scheme to enable swifter market access for certain devices that have already been approved in a comparable regulator country; (2) the new UK Conformity Assessed, or UKCA, mark and, in particular, proposals to remove the requirement to place such UKCA marking on devices; (3) conformity assessment procedures for in vitro diagnostic devices; and (4) maintaining in UK law certain pieces of “assimilated” EU law. This consultation builds on the MHRA’s previous consultation between September and November 2021, and the UK government’s response to that consultation which was published on June 26, 2022. On July 22, 2025, the MHRA published a response to the consultation confirming that it will incorporate feedback to this consultation into new legislation on pre-market requirements for medical devices in Great Britain. A draft of the new legislation is expected this year and aims to enable greater international collaboration and practices, with more patient-centered, proportionate requirements for medical devices which are responsive to technological advances.
Under the UK Medical Devices Regulations, in order to be lawfully placed on the Great Britain market, certain medical devices need to be “UKCA” certified by a UK approved body. However, certain medical devices in compliance with: (1) the EU Medical Devices Directive can continue to be placed on the Great Britain market until the sooner of certificate expiration or June 30, 2028; or (2) the EU Medical Devices Regulation can continue to be placed on the Great Britain market until June 30, 2030.
In addition, all medical devices must be registered with the MHRA prior to being placed on the market. Additionally, manufacturers based outside the UK need to appoint a UK Responsible Person to register devices with the MHRA.
Other Healthcare Laws
Although none of the procedures performed using our products are currently covered by any government or commercial third-party payors, applicable agencies and regulators may nonetheless interpret that we are subject to numerous state and federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including anti-kickback, false claims and transparency laws with respect to payments and other transfers of value made to physicians and other licensed healthcare professionals, that are intended to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the health care industry and analogous state laws that may apply to healthcare items and services by any payors including private insurers and self-pay patients. These laws are broad, subject to evolving interpretations and vigorously enforced against medical device manufacturers and have resulted in manufacturers paying significant fines and penalties and being subject to stringent corrective action plans and reporting obligations. We must operate our business within the requirements of these laws and, if we were accused of violating them, could be forced to expend significant resources on investigation, remediation and monetary penalties. Companies targeted in such prosecutions have paid substantial fines in the hundreds of millions of dollars or more, have been forced to implement extensive corrective action plans, can be excluded from federal health care programs and become subject to substantial civil and criminal penalties, and have often become subject to consent decrees, settlement agreements or corporate integrity agreements severely restricting the manner in which they conduct their business.
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Because we have commercial operations overseas, we are also subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other countries’ anti-corruption/anti-bribery regimes, such as the U.K. Bribery Act. The FCPA prohibits, among other things, improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Safeguards we implement to discourage improper payments or offers of payments by our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors may be ineffective, and violations of the FCPA and similar laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, or other liabilities or proceedings against us, any of which would likely harm our reputation, business, financial condition and result of operations.
Many foreign countries have similar laws relating to healthcare fraud and abuse. Foreign laws and regulations may vary greatly from country to country. For example, the advertising and promotion of medical devices are subject to some general principles set forth in EU legislation. According to the EU Medical Devices Regulation, only devices that are CE marked may be marketed and advertised in the EU in accordance with their intended purpose. Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, while not specific to the advertising of medical devices, also apply to the advertising thereof and contain general rules, for example, requiring that advertisements are evidenced, balanced and not misleading. Specific requirements are defined at a national level. EU member states’ laws related to the advertising and promotion of medical devices, which vary between jurisdictions, may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of products to the general public and may impose limitations on promotional activities with healthcare professionals.
Many EU member states have adopted specific anti-gift statutes that further limit commercial practices for medical devices, in particular vis-à-vis healthcare professionals and organizations. Additionally, there has been a recent trend of increased regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities and many EU member states have adopted national “Sunshine Acts” which impose reporting and transparency requirements (often on an annual basis), similar to the requirements in the United States, on medical device manufacturers. Certain countries also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs.
The aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.
Reimbursement and Patient Payment
In the United States and markets in other countries, patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers performing the prescribed services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Third-party payors, including government authorities, managed care plans, private health insurers and other organizations, generally only cover the cost of treating the medical condition of the cataract, which can be treated with traditional cataract surgery and the placement of a basic monofocal IOL. In the United States and other countries, patients generally may elect and pay out-of-pocket for advanced technologies such as laser assisted cataract surgery and premium IOLs to further refine and correct their vision beyond what is possible from a basic traditional cataract surgery treatment.
To date the reimbursement to the facility or physician from third-party payors has been intended to cover the cost of a basic traditional cataract surgery treatment, as well as the overhead cost associated with the facility where the procedure is performed. We have not historically directly billed any third-party payors; instead, we receive payment from the physician practice, hospital or other facility that uses our devices, who in turn receive additional payment from their patients who have elected a premium procedure.
With respect to our LLS and ALLY System, surgeons typically charge the patient a separate out-of-pocket fee for procedures using our device. The use of advanced IOLs designed to improve vision is also not reimbursed by Medicare beyond the standard reimbursement for a basic monofocal IOL and physicians charge the patient for the difference between the lower reimbursed amount and the cost of the advanced IOL. Surgeons typically offer the option of an advanced IOL to patients explaining that it is not covered by Medicare and will be an out-of-pocket expense. Use of our LLS and ALLY System is often accompanied by the implantation of an advanced IOL. We believe that the ability of our LLS and ALLY System, when used with advanced IOLs to optimize vision results, will encourage surgeons to perform the procedure and their patients to pay the additional out-of-pocket costs.
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Healthcare Reform
The United States and some foreign jurisdictions are considering or have enacted a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality or expanding access. Current and future legislative proposals to further reform healthcare or reduce healthcare costs may limit coverage of or lower reimbursement for the procedures associated with the use of our ALLY System or other products we may develop in the future, if cleared. The cost containment measures that payors and providers are instituting, and the effect of any healthcare reform initiative implemented in the future could impact our revenue from the sale of our products.
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or the ACA, in the United States, for example, has changed healthcare financing and delivery by both governmental and private insurers substantially, and affected medical device manufacturers significantly. The ACA, among other things, provided incentives to programs that increase the federal government’s comparative effectiveness research, and implemented payment system reforms including a national pilot program on payment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to improve the coordination, quality and efficiency of certain healthcare services through bundled payment models. Additionally, the ACA expanded eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs and created a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in, and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research. Since its enactment, there have been judicial, executive and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the ACA without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA.
Moreover, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. For example, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, included reductions to Medicare payments to providers, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2032, with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022, unless additional Congressional action is taken. Additionally, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.
More recently, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBBA”) was signed into law in July 2025, which also included significant reforms to Medicaid, including an estimated $1 trillion in reduced federal Medicaid spending from 2025 through 2034, the imposition of work requirements for certain adult enrollees, more frequent eligibility redeterminations, and increased cost-sharing for beneficiaries. These changes are expected to reduce overall Medicaid enrollment and access to care. Although the effect on our business is currently unknown, any decrease in the number of insured patients or reimbursement levels for our products could adversely affect our revenue and commercial prospects.
We expect additional state and federal healthcare reform measures to be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.
For EU member states, in December 2021, Regulation No 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment, or HTA, amending Directive 2011/24/EU, was adopted. The Regulation entered into force in January 2022 and has been applicable since January 2025, with phased implementation based on the type of product i.e., certain high-risk medical devices as of 2026. The Regulation intends to boost cooperation among EU member states in assessing health technologies, including certain high-risk medical devices, and provide the basis for cooperation at the EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. It will permit EU member states to use common HTA tools, methodologies, and procedures across the EU, working together in four main areas, including joint clinical assessment of the innovative health technologies with the highest potential impact for patients, joint scientific consultations whereby developers can seek advice from HTA authorities, identification of emerging health technologies to identify promising technologies early, and continuing voluntary cooperation in other areas. Individual EU member states will continue to be responsible for assessing non-clinical (e.g., economic, social, ethical) aspects of health technology, and making decisions on pricing and reimbursement.
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Data Privacy and Security
Numerous state, federal and foreign laws, regulations and standards govern the collection, use, access to, confidentiality and security of health-related and other personal information and could apply now or in the future to our operations or the operations of our partners. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including data breach notification laws, health information privacy and security laws and consumer protection laws and regulations govern the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of health-related and other personal information. In addition, certain foreign laws govern the privacy and security of personal data, including health-related data. Privacy and security laws, regulations, and other obligations are constantly evolving, may conflict with each other to complicate compliance efforts, and can result in investigations, proceedings, or actions that lead to significant civil and/or criminal penalties and restrictions on data processing.
Human Capital
We are committed to revolutionizing refractive eye surgery. As a global leader in next generation, robotic laser for cataract surgery, our success depends on talented and motivated individuals who share our passion for making a difference in patients’ lives. We pride ourselves on having a highly collaborative, innovative environment where initiatives and teamwork are valued, and individual efforts are recognized. Together, we are one team, one vision.
As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately 150 employees that support our manufacturing, research and development, commercial and administrative functions. Primarily all of our workforce is based at our corporate headquarters in Orlando, Florida except for our commercial organization, which is spread throughout the United States based upon geographic responsibility.
In managing our business, we utilize a variety of human capital measures and objectives, including:
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Hiring Strategies: We compete for highly skilled and talented individuals within the market. We promote hiring from within, and we source from outside to bring in new talent when necessary. We strive to have an inclusive workforce, and ultimately the respective hiring team’s goal is to choose the best candidate for each role.
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Retention and Stability: We take pride in the stability and dedication of our workforce. Over 35% of employees have been with the Company five or more years, and over 20% have been with the Company 10 or more years. In 2025, we experienced a full-time employee turnover rate of approximately 10%.
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Culture: We value our employees and the individual and collective contributions employees make to the Company. We believe work-life balance is integral to our employees performing at their best. Given our smaller business orientation, we require individual employees to have broader skillsets and enthusiastic and collaborative dedication to our team-based working groups. We offer development opportunities that align with professional and personal goals. We aim to have quarterly Company-wide meetings to keep employees informed on Company updates and performance, as well as to celebrate corporate milestones and individual years of service achievements. In addition to social activities scheduled throughout the year, we typically have an annual corporate event to bring all employees together for team building. To provide work/life support and resources for employees, we provide access to two Employee Assistance Programs.
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Competitive Pay and Benefits: Our compensation programs are designed to align the compensation of our employees with our corporate performance and to provide the proper incentives to attract, retain, and motivate employees to achieve superior results. The structure of our compensation programs is intended to balance incentive earnings for both short-term and long-term performance. Specifically:
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We provide employee wages that we believe are competitive and consistent with employee positions, skill levels, experience, knowledge and geographic location.
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We have also engaged outside compensation and benefits consulting firms to help independently evaluate the effectiveness of our executive and benefit programs and to provide benchmarking against our peers within the industry.
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We look to align our executives’ long-term equity compensation with our stockholders’ interests. In addition, we currently provide equity benefits to all employees to encourage Company ownership and align all employee interests with that of our stockholders. We believe this incentivizes the entire employee base in relation to the successful achievement of the Company’s goals.
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Annual increases and incentive compensation are based on merit, which is communicated to employees at the time of hiring and documented through our talent management process.
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All full-time employees are eligible for health insurance, paid and unpaid leaves, a retirement plan with company match and immediate vesting, and disability insurance. The Company also offers a generous holiday schedule and a Company-wide shut down during the December holidays.
Seasonality
We have historically experienced seasonal variations in the sales and leases of our products, with our fourth quarter typically being the strongest and the first quarter being the slowest. We believe these seasonal variations are consistent across our industry.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in the State of Delaware on August 20, 2004 and became a direct, majority-owned subsidiary of PDL BioPharma, Inc., or PDL, in 2017. In October 2020, we completed a spin-off of LENSAR, Inc. from PDL in the form of a dividend involving the distribution of all outstanding shares of our common stock owned by PDL to the holders of PDL common stock, or Spin-Off. Following the completion of the Spin-Off, PDL no longer owns any equity interest in us, and we became an independent public company on October 1, 2020.
Available Information
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings are also available free of charge under the Investor Relations section of our website at www.lensar.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. We may use our website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. Financial and other important information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible through the Investor Relations sections of our website at www.lensar.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company when you enroll your email address by under the Investor Email Alerts option on the Investor Relations page of our website at www.lensar.com. Our website and the information available through our website are not incorporated into this Annual Report.