Gene DeJuan: Lessons from Founding ForSight Labs

Gene DeJuan, Jr., MD, Founder & Vice-Chairman, ForSight Labs

Renowned retinal surgeon, inventor and entrepreneur Dr. Eugene de Juan, Jr., serves as Vice-Chairman of ForSight Labs, where he participates as an active inventor and advisor in early-stage ophthalmic device opportunities.

Dr. de Juan, Jr., splits his time between ForSight Labs and UCSF. He holds the “Jean Kelly Stock Distinguished Chair” in Ophthalmology. UCSF recruited Dr. de Juan for this special role to augment translation of the many ideas being developed within the academic center. He continues to see patients, operate and teach at UCSF.

Dr. de Juan, Jr., has participated in the development of a number of ophthalmology’s most exciting new technologies with over 100 products and the founding of nine venture funded companies including Second Sight, InnoRx, NeoVista, and Retina Labs, in addition to ForSight Labs’ first five “VISION” companies: Transcend Medical, Inc., founded in 2005; VISION2 (acquired by QLT, Inc. in 2007); Nexis Vision, Inc. (formerly ForSight VISION3, Inc.), founded in 2007; ForSight VISION4, Inc., founded in 2009; and ForSight VISION5, Inc., founded in 2010.

Prior to moving to San Francisco, Dr. de Juan, Jr., was a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California and CEO of the Doheny Eye Institute, focusing on innovative techniques for treating blinding retinal disorders through retinal transplantation, macular translocation, robotic surgery, retinal implants, and other new procedures, medicines and instruments.

Prior to these positions, Dr. de Juan served at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he was Co-Director of Vitreoretinal Service, Director of the Microsurgery Advanced Design Laboratory (MADLAB) and Joseph E. Green Professor of Ophthalmology. From 1983 to 1992, he was a member of the medical staff of the Duke University Eye Center, holding joint teaching appointments with the departments of ophthalmology and cell biology.

He is a passionate supporter of ophthalmic education and development and has recently helped established a chair for Ophthalmic Education at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. de Juan completed his medical degree and internship training at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. He served an internship at University of South Alabama Medical Center followed by a residency at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute in Baltimore, MD, and a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Duke University. He holds patents on over sixty medical devices and is responsible for more than 250 academic publications.