CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Alcon has entered into multiple licensing agreements with HPO, an organization founded in 2006 by Dr. Andrew Ishak, OD, FAAO, through work focused on protecting the human retina from High Energy Visible Light (HEVL). HPO is an inventor and developer of selective HEVL-filtering and technology for light filtering and management, according to an HPO announcement on Monday. HPO has licensed Alcon an exclusive license for HPO’s Selective HEVL intellectual property as well as a technology development agreement for the ongoing advancement of HEVL-filtering contact lens material solutions, according to the announcement.

“Our partnership with Alcon is driven by a mutual desire to provide HEVL-filtering solutions for contact lens patients,” Larry Rodriguez, president and CEO of HPO, said. “The teamwork between our two companies over the past several years has been exceptional, and that work continues today with advancements in HEVL protection for contact lenses.”

Added Andy Pawson, president and general manager, global vision care franchise at Alcon, “Our focus remains on delivering innovation that helps people see brilliantly. We’ve found that many contact lens wearers are eager to reduce the amount of HEVL that reaches their eye. It’s one of the reasons why we’re thrilled to incorporate HPO’s HEVL technology into our newest contact lens innovations.”

HPO has been a world leader in the intellectual properties and technology development space for HEVL/blue light-filtering for over 10 years. Its early focus was on applications in and around ophthalmic lens products. In 2019, HPO advanced outside the eyecare space licensing selective HEVL-filtering for the auto transportation space, the company’s announcement noted.

HPO has licensed and developed technology for the largest companies in the world for selectively filtering HEVL both in and on products.

“Our work with Alcon has advanced significantly over the past several years. Our focus has been discovering unique paths for contact lenses to filter HEVL from the retina. With great partnership and collaboration, we are discovering new roads to more advanced solutions in the contact lens space. This has been a terrific journey and continues as we research and develop advanced solutions for this space,” Rodriguez added.