Raising the Bar

Retinal diseases are expected to grow to 458 million in 2027.¹ Most of these individuals are affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and diabetic macular edema (DME). To help address the rising demand, BVI Medical (Waltham, MA) recognizes that ophthalmologists will need tools to develop a scalable model of patient care so they may deliver the best, most predictable outcomes and surgical experience.

Global Growth

Through strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and investments in both people and R&D, BVI has been on a mission to grow its global footprint and curate a comprehensive portfolio of premium ophthalmic solutions across instrumentation, IOLs, equipment, and more—all with a reputation of precision, innovation, and quality. The company’s growth strategy has been centered on investing in a robust pipeline of internal R&D to drive differentiated innovation into the market. The company has coupled this with a thoughtful and creative external investment and acquisition model to turbo charge the growth of the business and establish it as one of the larger diversified player in the surgical ophthalmic industry.

In the past 5 years, BVI has undergone what CEO and President Shervin Korangy described as a “soup-to-nuts transformation of the business.” Toward its goal of evolving into a global market leader of ophthalmic products, the company has doubled its R&D investment into treatments across surgical ophthalmology. Mr. Korangy summarized BVI’s strategy: “Our focus has been on becoming a broad-based player, capable of offering a comprehensive array of solutions across cataract, retina and glaucoma. We want to have market-leading products in each category.”

Broad Market Access and the Right Team

BVI has an expansive presence and distribution footprint across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia—90 countries in total. To ensure it can meet the growing demand for ophthalmic care across the globe, the company has added innovation hubs and manufacturing facilities across America, Europe, and Asia. Mikhail Boukhny, Senior Vice President of R&D for BVI, explained that each country presents unique needs, both in its clinical populations and its regulatory requirements. “Our strategy to tackle these challenges hinges on having a team of knowledgeable, professional, and hard-working individuals in R&D and regulatory affairs and across various functions. The expertise and dedication of the team enable us to create innovative products and navigate complex regulatory landscapes effectively,” he said.

A Dedication to Innovation and Retina Care

BVI has made powerful commitments to enhance its global presence in retina vision care and continues to partner with world-class retinal specialists to identify the next great wave of innovation. BVI’s current pipeline includes nine surgical ophthalmic devices and equipment platforms that it expects to launch over the next 3 years worldwide. This diversified pipeline portfolio will offer end-to-end integrated platforms that empower surgeons and their staff to significantly improve patient outcomes, efficiency, proficiency of care, and the profitability of surgical service lines.

BVI’s portfolio spans a variety of high-performance surgical tools that includes Vitreq®, a leader in retina instrumentation worldwide. BVI has also invested R&D, engineering, and its manufacturing plant based in the Netherlands to develop a suite of retina products that include a wide range of micro forceps and scissors, laser probes, chandelier, backflush instruments, vitreoretinal consumables, bipolar erasers, and IVT kits. Globally, many retina practitioners rely on BVI’s custom IVT kits to help optimize their ability to deliver reproducible quality outcomes for intravitreal injections. Omar Shakir, MD, MBA, CEO of Coastal Eye and Coastal Eye Surgery Center in Greenwich, Connecticut, says BVI retina products’ “reliability and exceptional quality let me focus on my patients, knowing I have great instruments in hand with one less worry. Honestly speaking, I have never used better membrane peeling forceps with that butter-smooth action. Also, BVI CustomEyes® procedure packs provide consistency, efficiency, and the established high quality that I need for every case, making them an indispensable partner in my surgical center.”

Further, BVI’s Endo Optiks® Laser Microendoscopy provides crucial visualization when treating areas of the eye that are otherwise inaccessible, thus optimizing surgical outcomes.

Patient Care is Not Just Surgical

BVI is developing new clinical services and solutions to improve eye care providers’ decision-making and patient care. “Globally, we are seeing that business and educational needs are just as important to practitioners as devices are,” explained Mr. Boukhny. He also described the importance the BVI team places on developing a partnership with ophthalmic physicians: “Our commitment to excellence drives us to seek continuous feedback from those on the front lines of patient care. By developing close relationships with surgeons, BVI’s team members are learning from their experience in the clinic.”

To enhance the OR experience for clinicians and their staff, BVI developed an online application to streamline surgical pack customization, called CustomEyes®. Through the app, the BVI team works with surgeons and OR staff to create a digital model of surgical packs that meet their unique needs.

1. 2022 Retinal Surgical Device Market Scope Report (Market-Scope.com).