Eyecare company Alcon Inc. will acquire privately held LenSx Lasers Inc., developer of a femtosecond laser used in cataract surgery, for $361.5 million, Alcon announced Tuesday.

The LenSx system, the first femtosecond laser to receive US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, enables surgeons to perform some of the most delicate manual steps of cataract surgery with image-guided visualization and micron-level laser precision. Venture capital investors in LenSx Lasers, which is based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., are Versant Ventures, SV Life Sciences, InterWest Partners and Venture Investors.

Femtosecond lasers have been used for more than 3 million lasik refractive surgical procedures, and now the LenSx system brings laser technology to cataract surgery for the first time, Alcon said.

"The LenSx femtosecond laser has been designed to advance the precision and reproducibility of key manual portions of the cataract procedure, something we have seen lasers do repeatedly in other ophthalmic procedures," said Stephen Slade, MD, Slade and Baker Vision, Houston, who performed the initial series of LenSx laser procedures in the US. "This laser delivered improved post-surgical refractive outcomes for my patients with a more exact size, shape and centration of the capsulotomy and precise centering of the intraocular lens."

Alcon could pay as much as $382.5 million for the company if certain femtosecond unit and procedure fee revenue milestones are met. Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

For more information, visit: www.alcon.com