VAUGHAN, Ontario, July 23, 2024 – Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO), a leading global eye health company dedicated to helping people see better to live better, today announced an affiliate has acquired Trukera Medical, from its private equity owner, AccelMed Partners, and other shareholders. The tuck-in acquisition will help expand Bausch + Lomb’s surgical presence in the United States and contribute to its leading position in dry eye.
Trukera Medical, a U.S.-based privately held ophthalmic medical diagnostic company, commercializes ScoutPro®, a point-of-care portable device for precisely measuring osmolarity, or the salt content of a person’s tears. Hyperosmolarity, a condition not detectable by slit lamp examination, is a leading indicator and central etiology of asymptomatic dry eye disease (DED) and ocular surface disease (OSD), which can negatively affect corneal, cataract and refractive surgery outcomes if not treated effectively prior to the procedure.
“As a global leader in dry eye disease management, as well as cataract and refractive medical devices and implants, we’re uniquely positioned to optimize pre-surgical preparation to help ensure positive post-surgical outcomes,” said Luc Bonnefoy, president, Surgical, Bausch + Lomb. “ScoutPro has already become a valuable preoperative diagnostic tool for many U.S. surgeons, and with our scale we believe it can have an even greater impact.”
“Premium outcomes today are increasingly measured by an ability to deliver both the refractive target and a high quality of vision for each patient. Since hyperosmolarity is known to have a significant negative impact on quality of vision and patient satisfaction after cataract surgery1, having an easy-to-use diagnostic tool can help surgeons meet their patients’ increasingly high expectations,” said Adam Szaronos, CEO and president of Trukera Medical. “By joining a global leader like Bausch + Lomb, we are excited to get this valuable tool in the hands of more surgeons to benefit more patients.”
DED is prevalent in cataract surgery candidates, though many are asymptomatic. In one study2 looking at patients with no history of OSD, over 50 percent had an abnormal tear osmolarity or matrix metalloproteinase-9 level when presenting for surgery. In another study looking at cataract outcomes, hyperosmolar patients reported seven times the frequency of post-op dissatisfaction at the one-month mark compared to the normal osmolarity control group.1
Despite these statistics, a gap exists between the need for, and implementation of, preoperative testing. In a survey conducted by the America Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), less than 10 percent of surgeons reported using point-of-care diagnostic testing in preoperative assessments, despite over 90 percent of respondents agreeing that even mild-to-moderate DED affected patient satisfaction after cataract and refractive surgery. The ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee has developed a protocol for cataract and refractive surgery that recognizes tear osmolarity as an essential test for identifying visually significant OSD.3
“As ophthalmic surgeons, we are committed to using every available measure to ensure the best post-surgical outcomes for our patients,” said Lisa M. Nijm, MD, JD, Warrenville Eye Care and LASIK Center in Warrenville, Il, and chief medical advisor, Trukera Medical. “ScoutPro is an invaluable tool that aids us in optimizing preoperative measurements, helping me provide exceptional refractive outcomes and high patient satisfaction."
About ScoutPro®
The ScoutPro Osmolarity System is an automated device intended to quantitatively measure the osmolarity of human tears to aid in the diagnosis of dry eye disease, in patients suspected of having dry eye disease in conjunction with other methods of clinical evaluation.
About Trukera Medical
Founded in 2009, Trukera (formerly TearLab) was built upon the recognition of the importance of corneal health to eye care practices. The company introduced tear osmolarity testing to eye care with the TearLab Osmolarity System, which has been used to perform over 24 million tests worldwide. In 2022, the company changed its name to Trukera Medical as it expanded into corneal health. What began with a focus on osmolarity testing is now a comprehensive corneal health company working to address additional unmet needs in eye care.