Medical Advisory Board Announcement

February 10, 2017

SightLife Surgical names medical advisory board to champion advancements in corneal therapeutics
Board comprised of leading corneal surgeons from across the U.S.

Seattle, WA (February 10, 2017) – SightLife Surgical announced today that it has appointed a medical advisory
board of distinguished ophthalmologists to help guide the organization’s commitment to medical advancements
in corneal therapeutics. The board will play a key role in the challenging the status quo of the cornea ecosystem
and drive advancements in treatments for corneal blindness.
The board will be chaired by Edward Holland, M.D., Director of Cornea Services at Cincinnati Eye Institute
(Cincinnati, OH), and also will include John Berdahl, M.D., ophthalmologist at Vance Thompson Vision (Sioux
Falls, SD); Nicole Fram, M.D., ophthalmologist at Advanced Vision Care (Los Angeles, CA); Terry Kim, M.D.,
Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke University Eye Center (Durham, NC); Elizabeth Yeu, M.D., ophthalmologist
at Virginia Eye Consultants (Norfolk, VA); and Richard Lindstrom, M.D., founder and attending surgeon at
Minnesota Eye Consultants (Minneapolis, MN).
“We are honored and humbled to bring together such a well-respected group of ophthalmologists to support our
mission to eliminate treatable corneal blindness by 2040 by driving innovation in the cornea ecosystem,” said
Monty Montoya, president and CEO of SightLife Surgical. “Their combined experience, knowledge of the field
and intuition will be critical to our work to provide surgeons and their patients the best possible treatment and
therapeutics to restore sight for the corneal blind in the U.S. and around the globe.”
The board will work alongside SightLife Surgical’s board of directors and executive leadership, and provide advice
on current and new directions the organization should take in order to better serve corneal surgeons. This board is
separate and distinct from the medical directors who currently determine if donated tissue is suitable for
transplant.
“In the years I’ve been practicing ophthalmology, there have been significant advancements in corneal surgery
but there has not been a corporation dedicated to our specialty. Having a corporate partner to help develop new
therapeutic and surgical innovations will accelerate our progress,” said Dr. Holland, chair of the SightLife Surgical
Medical Advisory Board. “To be part of the only organization that is tackling this issue is a privilege and I strongly
believe that this board can help SightLife Surgical push the boundaries, which will ultimately mean that my
colleagues across the U.S. and beyond will be able to provide their patients more options.”
In 2016, SightLife Surgical was created as a for-profit subsidiary of SightLife with a $10 million investment from
Flying L Partners, William Link Ph.D.’s new healthcare investment firm. In order to scale to meet the demand of
the 10 million corneal blind around the world, medical advancement in the cornea ecosystem became a key
component of the organizations’ mission to eliminate corneal blindness.
“The first cornea transplant was performed over a century ago and continuous advances in technology and
surgical technique have improved patient access and outcomes worldwide. However, compared to other fields in
ophthalmology, investment and innovation in cornea have lagged. We need disruptive breakthroughs in corneal
acquisition, preservation and distribution, as well as the medical and surgical treatment for diseases and
abnormalities of the cornea to better meet the needs of our patients.” said Dr. Lindstrom, SightLife Surgical
board of directors and medical advisory board member. “The SightLife Surgical Medical Advisory Board will
advise and direct investment into new and innovative approaches for the preservation, restoration and
enhancement of corneal health and function, working together with their SightLife Surgical colleagues to help
alleviate the suffering of people affected by corneal disease worldwide.”
SightLife Surgical’s focus on medical advancements also will feed its commitment to prevention and early
treatment—corneal transplant technologies are not possible in every corner of the world due to the lack of
surgeons, after care, and more. The final core commitment of SightLife Surgical is to improve the reimbursement
and policy paradigms in the U.S., which can limit patients’ access to care and surgeons’ ability to provide the best
corneal treatments to their patients.
About SightLife Surgical
SightLife Surgical was founded in fall 2016 to challenge the status quo of the cornea ecosystem, primarily by
driving the systemic change needed to enable innovation and access to treatments for corneal blindness. This
cornea-focused organization provides comprehensive services to support ophthalmic surgeons, from corneal
tissue and devices to reimbursement consulting and political advocacy. Based in Seattle, SightLife Surgical is a
for-profit subsidiary of SightLife, the only non-profit global health organization working relentlessly to eliminate
corneal blindness worldwide by 2040. This mission-driven structure maintains the non-profit status of SightLife as
the parent organization and adds a for-profit “engine” to power and accelerate achievement of the mission.