STAAR Surgical insider receives 19k stock options in annual grant

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Key take-away: STAAR Surgical Co. (STAA) has filed a Form 4 disclosing a routine equity compensation grant to non-employee director Lilian Yansheng Zhou.

On 18 June 2025 the director received 19,415 non-qualified stock options with an exercise price of $16.85 per share (Transaction Code "A"). The options vest in full on the earlier of 18 June 2026 or the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and carry an expiration date of 17 June 2035. No open-market purchases or sales of common stock were reported, and there was no change in the director’s non-derivative share holdings.

The filing is made by a single reporting person and reflects the company’s standard annual equity program for non-employee directors. Given the modest size relative to STAAR’s total share count and the absence of trading activity, the disclosure is viewed as routine with limited market impact.

Insights

Financial Analyst

TL;DR: Routine director option grant; negligible balance-sheet or ownership impact.

The 19,415 options represent a small fraction of STAAR’s shares outstanding and are priced at $16.85, aligning director incentives with shareholder value creation above that level. Because the grant is part of the regular non-employee director compensation cycle and involves no immediate cash outlay or share sale, it should not materially affect valuation, liquidity, or corporate governance risk profiles. Investors usually interpret such filings as neutral unless accompanied by significant insider buying or selling, which is not the case here.

Corporate Governance Specialist

TL;DR: Standard equity award maintains alignment; no governance red flags.

The single-tranche vesting schedule (earlier of one year or the 2026 AGM) is consistent with prevailing best practices for director pay, ensuring directors remain incentivised throughout the service term. The strike price equals market price on the grant date, preserving accounting neutrality. No 10b5-1 plan usage is indicated, but the absence of share sales mitigates conflict concerns. Overall, the filing signals ordinary-course governance actions with immaterial shareholder ramifications.

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
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Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Zhou Lilian Yansheng

(Last) (First) (Middle)

25510 COMMERCENTRE DRIVE

(Street)

LAKE FOREST CA 92630

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
STAAR SURGICAL CO [ STAA ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
06/18/2025

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Common Stock Options	$16.85	06/18/2025		A		19,415		06/18/2026(1)	06/17/2035	Common Stock	19,415	$0	19,415	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. These equity awards vest in full on the earlier of June 18, 2026, or the Corporation's 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Remarks:

This Form 4 reflects the equity awards granted to the Reporting Person on June 18, 2025, pursuant to the Corporation's annual non-employee director equity compensation program for the 2025-2026 term.

	/s/ Nathaniel Sisitsky as attorney-in-fact for Lilian Zhou	06/20/2025
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

How many STAAR Surgical (STAA) options were granted in the Form 4?

The filing reports 19,415 stock options granted to director Lilian Zhou.

What is the exercise price of the new STAA options?

The options carry an exercise price of $16.85 per share.

When do the options granted to Lilian Zhou vest?

They vest in full on the earlier of 18 June 2026 or the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Did the Form 4 show any open-market stock purchases or sales by the director?

No. The filing discloses only the option grant; there were no share purchases or sales.

What is the expiration date of the reported STAA stock options?

The options expire on 17 June 2035.