An 8-K, the mandatory SEC disclosure companies file when executive leadership changes, confirmed that STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ: STAA) has named Warren Foust its permanent President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 4, 2026. The appointment ends roughly six months of shared interim leadership, during which Foust and Chief Financial Officer Deborah Andrews held co-CEO duties simultaneously. Andrews retains the CFO role and gains a new Executive Vice President title.
From interim to permanent
The transition at STAAR was less a dramatic reset than a formalization of what was already in place. Foust joined the Lake Forest, California company in April 2023 as Chief Operating Officer, moved to President and COO in March 2025, and was named Interim Co-CEO in February 2026. After what it described as a rigorous global search, the board concluded the answer was already in the building.
Board Chair Neal C. Bradsher said Foust brings operational discipline and judgment suited to STAAR's current strategy, which the company frames around three stated pillars: revenue growth, profit expansion, and innovation acceleration. Before STAAR, Foust held senior roles at Johnson & Johnson, including Worldwide President of Surgical Vision and Worldwide President of Mentor, along with earlier positions at DePuy Synthes, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, and Roche Pharmaceuticals.
What STAAR actually makes
STAAR's core product is a phakic intraocular lens, or phakic IOL. The "phakic" part matters: the lens is implanted inside the eye without removing the patient's natural crystalline lens, which distinguishes it from standard cataract surgery. STAAR sells its version under the EVO ICL brand, made from a proprietary biocompatible material called Collamer, and positions it as an alternative to corneal-tissue-removing procedures like LASIK.
The company has sold more than four million lenses in more than 85 countries since entering ophthalmic surgery in 1982. Manufacturing runs out of California and Switzerland.
The claims Foust made, and what the filing does not verify
In his public statement, Foust described the first half of 2026 as the strongest in company history, pointing to year-over-year growth, improving profitability, and sequential share gains in China. He said the China performance reflected the EVO+ product launch and improving average selling prices from product mix, with no inventory accumulation. He also cited research projecting that half the global population will be myopic by 2050 as context for the company's long-term opportunity.
Those characterizations come from Foust's own remarks in the press release. The 8-K did not include updated financial statements. The specific revenue figures, margins, and China volume data behind his first-half description will appear in a separate quarterly filing.