EyeCool Therapeutics appoints Vance Thompson, MD, to board of directors

Vance Thompson, MD

EyeCool Therapeutics has appointed Vance Thompson, MD, founder of Vance Thompson Vision and immediate past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), to the company's board of directors.

Thompson has personally performed more than 100,000 vision correction surgeries and has led more than 100 monitored ophthalmology clinical trials.

"I am honored to join the board of directors of EyeCool. While I have served on a number of industry medical advisory boards, I am thrilled to join EyeCool's BOD, as this investigational product is one that I believe could have great utility and broad applicability in ophthalmology. Having acted as principal investigator on many FDA-monitored trials, I look forward to joining the team that will see EyeCool's product through to commercialization,” said Thompson.

The investigational product mentioned by him is ETX-4143, EyeCool’s product for chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) designed to be used during an in-office, outpatient procedure. The device gently cools the surface of each eye for 4 minutes, targeting the myelinated long ciliary nerves responsible for pain.

In addition to Thompson joining the board of directors, EyeCool also announced the members joining its newly formed medical advisory board (MAB). Anat Galor, MD, MSPH, and Bonnie Henderson, MD, will be transitioning from the company’s scientific advisory board to the MAB. Additionally, Sumit (Sam) Garg, MD; Preeya K. Gupta, MD; Francis Price, MD; William B. Trattler, MD; and William Wiley, MD, will join the MAB.

Galor is a professor of ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Galor’s clinical expertise focuses on ocular surface diseases. Henderson is an internationally recognized expert in cataract and refractive surgery and served as the president and CEO of the Global Head of Innovation and Technology of HelpMeSee, a non-profit organization, and the past president of ASCRS. Additionally, Henderson is the founder and program director of the EnVision Summit, which was acquired by MJH Life Sciences, parent company of Ophthalmology Times, in 2024.

Garg, one of the many new appointees, is vice chair of clinical ophthalmology, medical director, and professor of cataract, refractive, external disease, and corneal surgery at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California, Irvine, and serves on the executive board of ASCRS.

Gupta is managing director of Triangle Eye Consultants in Raleigh, NC, and adjunct associate professor at Tulane University School of Medicine. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, serves as a journal reviewer, has written book chapters on corneal disease and ophthalmic surgery, and edited the Curbside Consultation in Cataract Surgery series.

Price is the founder and president of Price Vision Group and the Cornea Research Foundation of America. He is also the recipient of the Life Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Barraquer Award from the International Society of Refractive Surgery, and the Charles D. Kelman Innovator's Award from the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.

Trattler is the director of cornea at the Center for Excellence in Eye Care in Miami, Florida, and a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract, corneal, and refractive surgery, as well as MIGS and corneal crosslinking.

Wiley is the medical director of Cleveland Eye Clinic and Clear Choice LASIK Center, divisions of Midwest Vision Partners, where he also serves on the board. Additionally, he co-developed the Less-Drops formulation and MKO Melt sedation products and is an active investigator in trials for light-adjustable and trifocal IOLs, corneal inlays, toric IOLs, advanced dry eye therapies, excimer lasers, and extended-release drug delivery.

"Each of these doctors brings years of relevant experience, and we are pleased to have this team supporting EyeCool as we work to expedite our product to the many patients who could greatly benefit from it,” said Ruben F. Salinas, PhD, president & CEO of EyeCool Therapeutics.

References:

1. EyeCool Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Vance Thompson to Board of Directors. Published September 2, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eyecool-therapeutics-appoints-dr-vance-thompson-to-board-of-directors-302542404.html?tc=eml_cleartime&mc_cid=241bcab897&mc_eid=UNIQID