defa14a
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.___)
Filed by the Registrant þ
Filed by a Party Other than the Registrant o
Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Under § 240.14a-12 |
STAAR Surgical Company
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and
state how it was determined):
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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Total fee paid:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and
identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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Amount Previously Paid:
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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Date Filed:
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STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
1911 Walker Avenue
Monrovia, California 91016
May 9, 2005
To Our Stockholders:
We were pleased to announce on April 28, 2005 that STAAR
Surgical Company has expanded our Board of Directors to six
members and that our new independent director, Don M. Bailey,
has been elected to assume the duties of Chairman of the Board.
Because these changes affect the matters to be voted on at
STAARs Annual Meeting of the stockholders, we are
providing additional information in the attached Proxy Statement
Supplement. We are also providing a Revised Proxy Card to enable
stockholders to vote on re-electing Don Bailey to a full
three-year term. If you sign and return the Revised Proxy Card,
it will revoke and replace any previous proxy you have
submitted. If you do not sign and return the Revised Proxy Card,
your previous proxy will remain in effect, but it will not
include any vote on Don Baileys re-election.
The time and place of the Annual Meeting have not changed. The
Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2005 at
10:00 a.m. (California time) at the Four Points Sheraton,
located at 700 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, California 91016.
The attached Proxy Statement Supplement and Amended Notice of
Meeting should be read in conjunction with the Proxy Statement
and Annual Report, which we previously provided.
Please use this opportunity to take part in the affairs of the
Company by voting on the business to come before the Annual
Meeting, including the new proposal to re-elect Don Bailey to
the Board of Directors. If you are a record holder of
STAARs Common Stock at the close of business on
March 31, 2005, you are eligible to vote on these matters,
either personally at the Annual Meeting or by proxy. It is
important that your shares be voted, whether or not you plan to
attend the Annual Meeting, to ensure the presence of a quorum.
Therefore, please complete, sign, date and return the
accompanying proxy in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.
Returning the proxy does NOT deprive you of your right to attend
the Annual Meeting and vote your shares in person for the
matters acted on at the Annual Meeting. We look forward to
seeing you at the Annual Meeting.
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Sincerely, |
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David Bailey,
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President and Chief Executive Officer |
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
1911 Walker Avenue
Monrovia, California 91016
AMENDED NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Our Stockholders:
The annual meeting of the stockholders of STAAR Surgical Company
(the Annual Meeting) will be held on Thursday,
May 19, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. (California time), at the
Four Points Sheraton, located at 700 West Huntington Drive,
Monrovia, California 91016, for the following purposes:
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1. Election of Director. To elect one person
to serve as a Class I director of the Company until the
annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2008, or until his
successor has been elected and qualified. The Board of
Directors nominee is David Bailey. |
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2. Ratification of Appointment of Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm. To ratify the
appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Companys
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending December 30, 2005. |
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3. Other Business. To transact such other
business as properly may come before the Annual Meeting or any
continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof. |
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4. Election of Director. To elect an
additional person to serve as a Class I director of the
Company until the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in
2008, or until his successor has been elected and qualified. The
Board of Directors nominee is Don M. Bailey. |
Only persons who are stockholders of record at the close of
business on March 31, 2005 (Stockholders) will
be entitled to notice of and to vote, in person or by proxy, at
the Annual Meeting and at any continuation, adjournment or
postponement thereof.
The Proxy Statement Supplement that accompanies this Amended
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and the Proxy
Statement previously distributed to Stockholders, contain
additional information regarding the proposals to be considered
at the Annual Meeting, and Stockholders are encouraged to read
them in their entirety.
As set forth in the enclosed Proxy Statement Supplement, proxies
are being solicited by and on behalf of the Board of Directors
of the Company. All proposals set forth above are proposals of
the Board of Directors. It is expected that these materials will
be first mailed to Stockholders on or about May 9, 2005.
If you sign and return the Revised Proxy Card, it will revoke
and replace any previous proxy you have submitted. If you do not
sign and return the Revised Proxy Card, your previous proxy will
remain in effect, but it will not include any vote on
Proposal No. 4.
In order to vote on Proposal No. 4, you must submit
a Revised Proxy Card or attend the Annual Meeting in person.
All Stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual
Meeting in person. Your vote is important. Please complete,
date, sign and return the accompanying proxy in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope as promptly as possible, whether or not
you plan to attend the Annual Meeting. Your promptness in
returning the proxy will assist in the expeditious and orderly
processing of the proxies and in ensuring that a quorum is
present. If you return your proxy, you may nevertheless attend
the Annual Meeting and vote your shares in person if you wish.
If you want to revoke your proxy at a later time for any reason,
you may do so in the manner described in the attached Proxy
Statement Supplement.
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By Order of the Board of Directors, |
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Charles S. Kaufman
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Secretary |
Monrovia, California
May 9, 2005
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
1911 Walker Avenue
Monrovia, California 91016
PROXY STATEMENT SUPPLEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held May 19, 2005
GENERAL INFORMATION
This Proxy Statement Supplement is furnished in connection with
the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the
Board) of STAAR Surgical Company, a Delaware
corporation (referred to as the Company,
we, our or us), for use at
our annual meeting of stockholders (the Annual
Meeting) to be held at the Four Points Sheraton, located
at 700 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, California 91016 on
Thursday, May 19, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. (California
time), and at any continuation, adjournment or postponement of
the Annual Meeting. Only stockholders of record (the
Stockholders) at the close of business on
March 31, 2005 (the Record Date) are entitled
to notice of and to vote, in person or by proxy, at the Annual
Meeting or any continuation, adjournment or postponement
thereof. The Amended Notice of Annual Meeting, this Proxy
Statement Supplement and the accompanying proxy card are being
mailed to Stockholders on or about May 9, 2005.
This Proxy Statement Supplement is furnished to provide
information related to Proposal No. 4, which has been
newly added to the agenda for the Annual Meeting, and to provide
information on recent changes to the Board and Management of the
Company.
This Proxy Statement Supplement does not provide all of the
information about the Company that is important to your
decisions in voting at the Annual Meeting. Additional
information is contained in the Proxy Statement for the Annual
Meeting previously distributed to Stockholders. This Proxy
Statement Supplement is intended to be read in conjunction with
the Proxy Statement.
Method of Voting
Stockholders can vote by proxy or by attending the Annual
Meeting and voting in person. A revised proxy card including new
Proposal No. 4 (the Revised Proxy Card) is
enclosed. If you vote by means of the Revised Proxy Card, the
Proxy must be completed, signed and dated by you or your
authorized representative. The completed Revised Proxy Card may
be returned in the postage-paid envelope provided or by
facsimile to the Inspectors of Election at (626) 358-3049.
David Bailey and Charles S. Kaufman, the designated proxyholders
(the Proxyholders), are members of the
Companys management. If you hold Common Stock in
street name, you must either instruct your broker or
nominee as to how to vote such shares or obtain a proxy,
executed in your favor by your broker or nominee, to be able to
vote at the Annual Meeting.
If you sign and return the Revised Proxy Card, it will revoke
and replace any previous proxy you have submitted. If you do not
sign and return the Revised Proxy Card, your previous proxy will
remain in effect, but it will not include any vote on
Proposal No. 4.
In
order to vote on Proposal No. 4, you must submit a
Revised Proxy Card or attend the Annual Meeting in person.
If a Revised Proxy Card or original Proxy Card (a
Proxy) is properly signed, dated and returned and is
not revoked, the Proxy will be voted at the Annual Meeting in
accordance with the Stockholders instructions indicated on
the Proxy. If no instructions are indicated on the Proxy, the
Proxy will be voted FOR the election of the
Boards nominees, FOR ratification of the
appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP as our independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 30, 2005 and in accordance with the
recommendations of the Board as to any other matter that may
properly be brought before the Annual Meeting or any
continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof.
Revocability of Proxies
Any Stockholder submitting a Proxy has the power to revoke it at
any time before it is exercised. A Stockholder may revoke a
Proxy by filing a written revocation, or a duly executed Proxy
bearing a later date, with the Companys Secretary at our
principal executive offices located at 1911 Walker Avenue,
Monrovia, California 91016 prior to the commencement of the
Annual Meeting. A Stockholder may also revoke a Proxy by
attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Stockholders
whose shares are held in street name should consult
with their broker or nominee concerning the method for revoking
their Proxy.
Other Business
As of the date of this Proxy Statement Supplement, the Board
knows of no business to be presented for consideration at the
Annual Meeting other than as stated in the Amended Notice of
Annual Meeting. If, however, other matters are properly brought
before the Annual Meeting, including a motion to adjourn the
Annual Meeting to another time or place in order to solicit
additional proxies in favor of the recommendations of the Board,
the Proxyholders intend to vote the shares represented by the
Proxies on such matters in accordance with the recommendation of
the Board, and the authority to do so is included in the Proxy.
PROPOSAL NO. 4
ELECTION OF DIRECTOR
It is proposed that the Stockholders elect an additional person
to serve as a Class I director of the Company until the
annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2008, or until his
successor has been elected and qualified. The Board of
Directors nominee is Don M. Bailey.
On April 28, 2005, to expand representation on the Board
and adopt currently recommended norms of corporate governance,
the Board added an additional seat and provided for the
separation of the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer. To accomplish this, the Board increased its
size from five to six members and elected Don Bailey to serve as
an independent director in the newly created and vacant seat,
and as Chairman of the Board. David Bailey resigned from the
position of Chairman of the Board, but continues to serve as a
director and as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company.
With the Boards election of an independent director to
serve as Chairman of the Board, the duties formerly performed by
the Companys Lead Director will be assumed by the Chairman
of the Board. Accordingly, the position of Lead Director,
formerly held by Don Duffy, has been eliminated. Mr. Duffy
continues to serve as director and as Chairman of the Audit
Committee.
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The nominee has indicated his willingness to serve and, unless
otherwise instructed, the Proxyholders will vote the Proxies
received by them for the Board of Directors nominee. If
the nominee is unable or unwilling to serve as a director at the
time of the Annual Meeting or any continuation, postponement or
adjournment thereof, the Proxies will be voted for any other
nominee the current Board of Directors designates to fill the
vacancy. The Company has no reason to believe that the nominee
will be unable or unwilling to serve if elected as a director.
The person nominated for election as Class I director who
receives the highest number of affirmative votes at the Annual
Meeting will be elected.
David Bailey and Don Bailey are not related.
Our Bylaws permit the Board of Directors to fix the number of
its members, so long as there are no less than three directors
and no more than seven directors. At present, the Board of
Directors consists of six members. Our Certificate of
Incorporation and our Bylaws divide the Board into three
classes, with each class to be elected for a three-year term on
a staggered basis. The classes are to be as nearly equal in size
as possible, and accordingly the holder of the new Board seat is
one of two Class I directors, whose terms expire at the
Annual Meeting in 2005. The directors will serve their
respective terms until re-election, or until their successors
have been elected and qualified.
On the date of this Proxy Statement Supplement, the composition
of our Board of Directors is as follows:
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Year When | |
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at Annual | |
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Board Positions and Committee Memberships |
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Don M. Bailey
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Class I |
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2005 |
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Chairman
Audit Committee Member
Nominating, Governance and Compensation Committee
Member |
David Bailey
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Class I |
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2005 |
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Donald Duffy
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Class II |
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2006 |
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Audit Committee Chairman |
Volker D. Anhaeusser
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Class II |
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2006 |
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Audit Committee Member
Nominating, Governance and Compensation Committee
Member |
David Morrison
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Class III |
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2007 |
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David L. Schlotterbeck
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Class III |
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2007 |
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Audit Committee Member
Nominating, Governance and Compensation Committee
Member |
Because Don Baileys initial term as director will expire
at the Annual Meeting, new Proposal No. 4 to elect a
second Class I director has been added to the agenda for
the Annual Meeting. The Board has nominated Don Bailey to be
re-elected as a Class 1 director. The Board has authorized
this Proxy Statement Supplement to solicit proxies for the
Annual Meeting in favor of its nomination of Don Bailey and for
its other recommendations for the Annual Meeting. The Board of
Directors has not changed its recommendations on Proposals
Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE
ELECTION OF ITS NOMINEE, DON M. BAILEY.
Additional Information Regarding Nominee, Directors and
Executive Officers
Information regarding the business experience of Don Bailey and
two recently designated executive officers is provided below.
Information concerning our other nominee, directors and officers
is included in the Proxy Statement previously distributed to
Stockholders.
Don M. Bailey, Class I Director
Director since April
2005
Chairman of the Board
since April 28, 2005
Age 59
Don Bailey has served as a director since April, 2005. He has
served as Chairman of the Board of Comarco, Inc., a provider of
wireless test products for the wireless industry and a maker of
emergency call box systems and mobile power products for
handheld devices from 1998 to 2005. He also served from June
1980 to April 2000 as President of Comarco, Inc. and as its
Chief Executive Officer from January 1991 to April 2000.
Mr. Bailey earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University 1968, his Master
of Science degree in Operations Research from the University of
Southern California in 1971 and his Master of Business
Administration degree from Pepperdine University in 1986.
Don Bailey is an independent director, as that term
is defined under Rule 4200A(a)(15) of the National
Association of Securities Dealers Marketplace Rules. The
Board of Directors has designated Mr. Bailey to be a member
of the Audit Committee and the Nominating, Governance and
Compensation Committee. It is anticipated that he will continue
to serve on those committees if re-elected.
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Deborah Andrews, Vice President and Principal Accounting
Officer
Age 48 |
Ms. Andrews has served as Vice President and Principal
Accounting Officer since April, 2005. She has been employed by
STAAR since 1995, serving as Global Controller from 2001 to
2005, Vice President, Finance, of STAAR Surgical AG
(Switzerland) from 1999-2001, and Assistant Controller from 1995
to 1999. She previously served as an internal auditor for
Bourns, Inc., a maker of electronic components, from 1994 to
1995, and an auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick from 1991-1994.
Ms. Andrews earned her Bachelor of Science degree in
Accounting from California State University, San Bernardino.
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Charles S. Kaufman, Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary
Age 50 |
Mr. Kaufman has served as Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary since April 2005. From 2001 to 2005 he served as
an attorney at the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin,
Richter & Hampton, LLP, where he specialized in
corporate finance, securities regulation and corporate
transactions. From 1994 to 2001 Mr. Kaufman served as an
attorney at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster, LLP.
Mr. Kaufman earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English
Literature at the University of California at Los Angeles, where
he also received his Juris Doctor degree.
John Bily resigned as the Companys Chief Financial Officer
and Secretary on April 28, 2005.
None of the directors, nominees for director or executive
officers were selected pursuant to any arrangement or
understanding, other than with the directors and executive
officers of the Company acting within their capacity as such.
Except as set forth above and in the Proxy Statement, there are
no family relationships among directors or executive officers of
the Company and, as of the date hereof, no directorships are
held by any director in a company which has a class of
securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange
Act), or subject to the requirements of Section 15(d)
of the Exchange Act or any company registered as an investment
company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The executive
officers serve at the discretion of the Board.
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Compensation of Additional Director
Directors are elected for three-year terms and are granted
options to purchase 60,000 shares of our Common Stock
on their election or re-election. On his appointment to the
Board of Directors on April 28, 2005, Don Bailey received
options to purchase 60,000 shares of our Common Stock
at an exercise price of $3.81. These options vest in three equal
annual installments, with the first 20,000 shares vesting
on the date of grant. Because he was granted options on his
recent appointment to the Board of Directors, Mr. Bailey
will not receive an additional grant on re-election if he is
re-elected at the Annual Meeting.
The Board of Directors can change the compensation of directors
at any time.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This Proxy Statement Supplement is intended to supplement, and
be read in conjunction with, the Proxy Statement for the Annual
Meeting previously distributed to stockholders. In addition, our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2004 contains consolidated financial
statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and the reports
thereon of BDO Seidman, LLP, the Companys independent
registered public accounting firm. The Company will provide a
copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K or the Proxy
Statement upon the written request of any beneficial owner of
the Companys securities as of the Record Date and
reimbursement of the Companys reasonable expenses. Such
request should be addressed to the Company c/o Charles S.
Kaufman, Corporate Secretary, at 1911 Walker Avenue, Monrovia,
California 91016. Exhibits are available at no charge on the
SECs website, www.sec.gov.
STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED IMMEDIATELY TO COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN
THE ENCLOSED PROXY AND RETURN IT IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED, TO
WHICH NO POSTAGE NEED BE AFFIXED IF MAILED IN THE UNITED
STATES.
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By Order of the Board of Directors, |
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STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY |
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Charles S. Kaufman, Secretary |
Monrovia, California
May 9, 2005
5
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
May 19, 2005
Please date, sign and mail
your proxy card in the
envelope provided as soon
as possible.
THIS REVISED PROXY CARD WILL REVOKE AND REPLACE ANY PROXY YOU HAVE
PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING
Please detach and mail in the envelope provided.
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN
BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE ý
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1.
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Election of Director
FOR THE NOMINEE
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NOMINEE
¨ David Bailey
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2. Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ratification of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Companys Ratification of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the year ending
December 30, 2005.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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WITHHHOLD
AUTHORITY FOR THE
NOMINEE
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3. Other Business
In their discretion, the proxyholders are authorized to transact
such other business as properly may come before the Meeting
and any continuation, postponement, or adjournment thereof.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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4. Election of Director:
NOMINEE: Don M. Bailey
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FOR
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WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
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The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the election of each of the nominees in Proposal No. 1 and
Proposal No. 4 and FOR the ratification of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Companys independent registered public
accounting firm. All proposals to be acted upon are proposals of the Company. If any other business is properly
presented at the Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a motion to adjourn the Meeting to another
time or place in order to solicit additional proxies in favor of the recommendations of the Board of Directors, this
proxy shall be voted by the proxyholders in accordance with the recommendations of a majority of the Board of
Directors. At the date the proxy statement supplement went to press, we did not anticipate any other matters would
be raised at the Annual Meeting. |
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This Proxy will be voted in accordance with the instructions set forth above. If instructions are not given, this
Proxy will be treated as a GRANT OF AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR the election of the directors named above, the
ratification of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm, and in accordance
with the recommendations of a majority of the Board of Directors on such other business as may come before the
Meeting, including a motion to adjourn the Meeting to another time or place in order to solicit additional proxies
in favor of the recommendations of the
Board of Directors. |
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To change the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new address
in the address space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may
not be submitted via
this method.
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Signature of Stockholder: |
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Date: |
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Signature of Stockholder: |
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Date: |
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Note: Please sign exactly as your
name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When
signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such.
If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving
full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized
person.
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
Proxy For Annual Meeting Of Stockholders
The undersigned, a stockholder of STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY, a Delaware corporation (the
Company), hereby appoints David Bailey and Charles S. Kaufman, and each of them, the proxies of
the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, to attend, vote and act for the undersigned
at the Annual Meeting of the stockholders of the Company, to be held on May 19, 2005, at 10:00
a.m., and any postponements or adjournments thereof, and in connection herewith, to vote and
represent all of the shares of the Company which the undersigned would be entitled to vote as
follows on the reverse side.
(Continued and to be signed on the reverse side)