Uncommon Vision: A Conversation with Ophthalmologist, Entrepreneur and Investor Jack Kavanaugh

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles has more than its share of successful ophthalmologists, oral surgeons, business consultants, college professors, investors and entrepreneurs. But Dr. Jack Kavanaugh may be the only Angeleno whose extraordinary career has encompassed all of these professions and more.

After earning his DDS from UCLA, Kavanaugh opened a Beverly Hills practice in dental reconstruction and was CEO of a company that owned a string of clinics in California and Nevada. A decade later, after a neck injury forced him to stop practicing dentistry, he received an M.B.A. from UCLA and co-founded a management consultancy specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Driven by his passion for the healing arts, Kavanaugh returned to medicine a few years later, earning an M.D. from the University of Southern California and completing his residency in ophthalmology at the prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute, where he served as a visiting assistant professor of eye surgery.

Combining his extensive medical knowledge with his business acumen, Kavanaugh has played a key role as an investor and director of numerous biotech and other startups including Calhoun Vision, on whose board he served for 12 years—four of them as chairman. He is currently a consultant to the company.

Dr. Kavanaugh recently answered questions about his multifaceted career and Calhoun's Light Adjustable Lens, a breakthrough technology Kavanaugh helped launch and has dedicated 14 years to bringing to market.

Q:        How did you get involved with Calhoun Vision and the Light Adjustable Lens?

JK:       I was first introduced to the concept of the Light Adjustable Lens at a meeting in 1999. The idea was a replacement lens for use in cataract surgery that could be adjusted to give the patient the correct lens power after it is implanted in the eye. The technology was envisioned by ophthalmologist Dan Schwartz and developed by Dr. Bob Grubbs, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. We were joined at the meeting by John Baxter, a physician-scientist well known for his pioneering genetic research into growth hormones.

Q:        Why was this such a breakthrough concept?

JK:       Although there are methods of measuring what a replacement lens' power should be, they are not that accurate. About two-thirds of patients who have cataract surgery need glasses for distance, and almost all of them need it for medium and near vision. What this new technology promised was that you could make post-operative adjustments to give patients perfect vision. The adjustment is made by shining light into the lens, and the correction can really last a lifetime.

Q:        You are a board-certified eye surgeon. Why did you decide to devote your energy and skill to bringing this technology to market?

JK:       Given the research, and my experience as an eye surgeon, I truly believed that it would work. So I helped put together the company. We had the first board meeting in January 2000 at my house. I was on the board of directors and I raised the first round of funding—and much of the future funding—for the company. I became chairman in March 2008 and served in that position until I left the board in June 2012.

Q:        And your bet paid off…

JK:       Yes, as it turned out, the concept became a reality. A few years ago we received approval in Europe, where it's being used commercially, and it has recently been approved in Mexico. In the United States it's in the last of the three phases of clinical FDA trials that it must go through.

Q:        What's been the most gratifying aspect of seeing the Calhoun Vision Light Adjustable Lens finally get into the hands of eye surgeons?

JK:     There's almost nothing more exciting than seeing people in their 70s, 80s or even 90s getting excellent vision back. The early outcomes have been truly amazing. In an article published in Ophthalmology magazine in 2011, a doctor in Germany reported 88 percent with 20/20 or better and 25 percent with 20/16 or better unaided visual acuity. That's perfect vision when you're 16 years old! Imagine an older person getting back that kind of vision. It's truly a gift.

Q:        How does your work with Calhoun fit into your overall career?

JK:     Over the years I have gotten involved in what I call profound gatekeeper and disruptive technologies that are impactful and unique. Calhoun fits right into that, because there's never been anything like it and it will change the world of ophthalmology.

Q:        It seems like you have had three careers, as a dentist, as a business consultant, and as an ophthalmologist and assistant professor of eye surgery.

JK:       Well sometimes it does feel like that, except that fortunately all of these aspects of my career come together in my work with these exciting technology companies. My experiences in the business world—strategic consulting, business strategy, mergers and acquisitions—and my medical and surgical education, allow me to have a positive impact on the companies and help inspire confidence in investors.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uncommon-vision-a-conversation-with-ophthalmologist-entrepreneur-and-investor-jack-kavanaugh-807771326.html

SOURCE Dr. Jack Kavanaugh DDS, MD, MBA