Website Provides Critical Information to Consumers and Doctors

MONROVIA, Calif., Nov. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STAAR Surgical Company (Nasdaq: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today announced that is has officially launched its new STAAR Visian ICL website at www.visianinfo.com or www.seebeyondlasik.com. The site is designed to provide doctors and consumers with information and other helpful insights that should be useful in the decision-making process to become users of the ICL.

"The Internet can be a powerful tool to educate both consumers and doctors and we believe our new website will provide easy access to compelling data and resources for our Visian ICL," said David Bailey, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical. "Our website will be a portal through which users can read about Visian ICL advantages over competing technology, peruse clinical data supporting the superior visual outcomes, find a doctor who implants the Visian ICL and review testimonials from patients who have undergone the procedure.

"We are very proud of the website, which is comprehensive and complete with educational video and surgical animations of the ICL procedure," continued Mr. Bailey. "We are focused on providing the support necessary to make the Visian ICL a logical choice for both patients and doctors looking for a new refractive alternative for treating myopia and believe that our new website will be a key component of this strategy. This is the first stage in a phased rollout of improvements to all of our websites, including www.staar.com and our international ones, which will focus on improving website navigation and content."

New Website Features

www.visianinfo.com or www.seebeyondlasik.com will provide a range of content that STAAR believes will be helpful to doctors and potential patients including:

     --   What is the Visian ICL?:  This portion of the site discusses the
          history of eye vision correction, the ICL surgical procedure, the
          benefits of the Company's patented Collamer(R) material and the
          optimal candidate for the Visian ICL.
     --   Advantages:  Users can read about the conveniences of the Visian ICL
          and get a better understanding of why it might be a good choice for
          them.
     --   Visian vs. Others:  Doctors and patients can assess how the Visian
          ICL favorably stacks up against competing technology.
     --   Testimonials:  In this section users can read about positive first-
          hand patient accounts of experiences with the Visian ICL.
     --   Clinical Results:  This section provides highlight statistics from
          the three-year Food and Drug Administration clinical trial and
          provides a comparison of the Visian ICL to LASIK for the correction
          and reduction of moderate to high myopia.
     --   Locate A Doctor:  This section allows potential patients to locate
          doctors in their areas who are currently certified to do the Visian
          ICL procedure.

    About STAAR Surgical

STAAR Surgical is a leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of minimally invasive ophthalmic products employing proprietary technologies. STAAR's products are used by ophthalmic surgeons and include the Visian ICL, a tiny, flexible lens implanted to correct refractive errors, as well as innovative products designed to improve patient outcomes for cataracts and glaucoma. STAAR's ICL is approved by the FDA for use in treating myopia, has received CE Marking and is approved for sale in 43 countries. Approximately 65,000 ICLs have been sold worldwide. More information is available at www.staar.com.

Safe Harbor

All statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations, any statements regarding expectations for success of the ICL or other products in U.S. or international markets, any statements concerning proposed new products and government approval of new products, services or developments, statements of expectations regarding pending transactions, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include our limited capital resources and limited access to financing, the challenge of adapting our largely independent marketing model to the challenges of the refractive market, our ability to overcome negative publicity resulting from warning letters and other correspondence from the FDA Office of Compliance, the willingness of surgeons and patients to adopt a new product and procedure, and our ability to successfully launch and market the ICL in the U.S. while overcoming the foregoing challenges. Our ability to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the U.S. ICL approval depends on our overall financial condition, which can be adversely affected by general economic conditions, and other factors beyond our control, including those detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. STAAR assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or actual outcomes and does not intend to do so.

Contact: Investors, Douglas Sherk, +1-415-896-6820, or Jennifer Beugelmans, +1-646-201-5447, or Media, Jennifer Saunders, +1-646-201-5431, all of EVC Group.

SOURCE  STAAR Surgical Company
    -0-                             11/22/2006
    /CONTACT:  Investors, Douglas Sherk, +1-415-896-6820, or Jennifer
Beugelmans, +1-646-201-5447; Media, Jennifer Saunders, +1-646-201-5431, all of
EVC Group/
    /Web site:  http://www.seebeyondlasik.com/
    /Web site:  http://www.visianinfo.com/
    /Web site:  http://www.staar.com/
    (STAA)

CO:  STAAR Surgical Company
ST:  California
IN:  HEA MTC BIO CPR MLM
SU:  PDT

JL
-- SFW031 --
8942 11/22/2006 12:50 EST http://www.prnewswire.com