MONROVIA, Calif., Jul 25, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ --

Nick Curtis has extensive top level sales and marketing experience with leading companies in the cataract and refractive surgery industry

STAAR Surgical Company (Nasdaq: STAA) announced today that Nicholas T. Curtis (46) has been named Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Company. Curtis will be responsible for STAAR sales and marketing within the United States and Canada.

Curtis has over 22 years experience in selling and marketing cataract and refractive surgical products for some of the largest ophthalmic companies. He was a founding member of Chiron Vision, the ophthalmic subsidiary of Chiron Corporation, where he was responsible for pioneering new product introductions and for national accounts. As senior territory manager he held the highest sales position at Allergan Medical Optics, where, in addition to his sales and marketing responsibilities, he trained the sales force in value-added and service driven selling. Prior to Allergan, he was territory manager at American Medical Optics, a division of American Hospital Supply Corporation.

Most recently, Curtis was a vice president for TLC Vision/Laser Vision Centers, Inc. where he successfully grew the business in the Great Lakes Region in an extremely competitive environment.

David Bailey, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Nick is a well known figure within the industry. His extensive experience and knowledge of the cataract and refractive industry and his understanding of our customers makes him an exceptionally strong candidate to head up our sales and marketing efforts in the United States and Canada. He has a proven track record, having successfully completed a number of new product introductions, taking them to the next level, while on several occasions reinvigorating lagging sales of a product during a critical stage in its life cycle."

Bailey added, "Nick is a valuable addition to STAAR with the right combination of management, sales and marketing expertise to address our top line issues in the United States. He will play a critical role in pulling together our sales and marketing efforts to drive market share with the introduction of new products and a major increase in our account base in the US market to benefit our core cataract business and in anticipation of our ICL launch in 2003."

Founded in 1982, STAAR Surgical Company develops, manufactures and globally distributes medical devices for use in refractive, cataract and glaucoma surgery. The Company's five product lines include silicone and Collamer(TM) foldable intraocular lenses and the Sonic WAVE(TM) phacoemulsification system, all of which are used during cataract surgery, the ICL(TM) (implantable contact lens) which is a refractive lens for the treatment of near- and far-sightedness and the AquaFlow(TM) Collagen Glaucoma Drainage Device. Regulatory approvals vary from market to market with all products except the Toric ICL(TM) available in Europe and all except the ICL(TM) in the United States.

For additional information, about STAAR Surgical, visit the Company's web site at http://www.STAAR.com or www.irbyctc.com. You may wish to contact David Bailey, President, STAAR Surgical, or John Bily, Chief Financial Officer, STAAR Surgical, at (626) 303-7902. To contact Bill Roberts, President, CTC, Inc., or Wayne Buckhout, CTC Inc., please call (937) 434-2700.

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SOURCE STAAR Surgical Company

CONTACT:          David Bailey, President, or John Bily, Chief Financial Officer,
                  both of STAAR Surgical, +1-626-303-7902; or Bill Roberts, President, or Wayne
                  Buckhout, of CTC Inc., +1-937-434-2700

URL:              http://www.staar.com
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