As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 14, 2004.

                                                     Registration No. 333-111140

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

                                AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
                                    FORM S-3

             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                             STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                               -------------------
            Delaware                                            95-3797439
(State or other jurisdiction of                              (I.R.S. Employer
  incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)

                               1911 Walker Avenue
                           Monrovia, California 91016
                                 (626) 303-7902

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   registrant's principal executive offices)

                               -------------------

                                    John Bily
                             Chief Financial Officer
                             STAAR Surgical Company
                               1911 Walker Avenue
                           Monrovia, California 91016
                                 (626) 303-7902
 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                              of Agent for Service)

                                   Copies to:
                              A. John Murphy, Esq.
                            Charles S. Kaufman, Esq.
                     Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
                        333 South Hope Street, 48th Floor
                          Los Angeles, California 90071
                                 (213) 620-1780

     Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:  From time
to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

     If the only  securities  being  registered  on this form are being  offered
pursuant to dividend or interest  reinvestment plans, please check the following
box. |_|

     If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on
a delayed or continuous  basis  pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest
reinvestment plans, check the following box. |X|

     If this form is filed to  register  additional  securities  for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box
and list  the  Securities  Act  registration  statement  number  of the  earlier
effective registration statement for the same offering. |_| ___________

     If this form is a  post-effective  amendment  filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities
Act  registration   statement  number  of  the  earlier  effective  registration
statement for the same offering.|_|___________

      If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434,
please check the following box.  |_|___________



     The Registrant  hereby amends this  Registration  Statement on such date or
dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall
file a further  amendment  which  specifically  states  that  this  Registration
Statement shall  thereafter  become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of
the Securities  Act of 1933, as amended (the  "Securities  Act"),  or until this
Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and
Exchange  Commission  (the "SEC"),  acting  pursuant to said Section  8(a),  may
determine.





                                   PROSPECTUS



                                  [STAAR LOGO]
                             STAAR Surgical Company

                                 120,000 Shares

                                  Common Stock

                                ($0.01 Par Value)

                                 --------------

         This is an  offering  of common  stock of STAAR  Surgical  Company,  or
STAAR. All of the shares are being offered by the selling  stockholder listed in
the  section of this  prospectus  entitled  "Selling  Stockholder."  We will not
receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the 120,000 shares being offered by
the selling stockholder.

         Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq  National Market under the symbol
"STAA." On January 12, 2004, the closing sales price for our common stock on the
Nasdaq National Market was $9.00 per share.

                                 --------------

         Investment in our common stock  involves a high degree of risk.  Please
carefully consider the "Risk Factors" beginning on page 4 of this prospectus.

                                 --------------

         Neither  the  Securities  and  Exchange   Commission,   nor  any  state
securities  commission,  has  approved or  disapproved  of these  securities  or
determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.

                                 --------------

                     The date of this prospectus is January 14, 2004.






                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                     Page
            Special Note Regarding
               Forward-Looking Statements...............................1
            Prospectus Summary..........................................2
            Risk Factors................................................4
            Use of Proceeds............................................12
            Selling Stockholder........................................13
            Plan of Distribution.......................................14
            Legal Matters..............................................16
            Experts....................................................16
            Where You Can Find More Information........................16
            Information Incorporated by Reference......................17




         You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or
to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you
with different information.  This document may be used only where it is legal to
sell these  securities.  The information in this prospectus may only be accurate
on the date of this prospectus.
                                 --------------

      Unless the context  otherwise  requires,  the terms "we,"  "our," "us" and
"STAAR" refer to STAAR Surgical Company and its subsidiaries.

                SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

         Statements  in this  prospectus  that are not  statements of historical
fact are  forward-looking  statements.  These  statements  relate to our  future
plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. You may generally identify these
statements by the use of words such as "expect,"  "anticipate," "intend," "plan"
and similar expressions.

         You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking  statements.
Our actual  results  could differ  materially  from those  anticipated  in these
forward-looking  statements as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties that
are beyond  our  control,  including  those we  discuss  in "Risk  Factors"  and
elsewhere  in  this  prospectus,  and in our  other  reports  we file  with  the
Securities  and Exchange  Commission.  The  forward-looking  statements  in this
prospectus speak only as of the date of this prospectus, and you should not rely
on these  statements  without  also  considering  the  risks  and  uncertainties
associated with these statements and our business.


                                      -1-


                               PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

STAAR Surgical Company

         STAAR is a provider of products for eye care professionals operating in
three sectors of the ophthalmic products industry:  cataract surgery, refractive
surgery and glaucoma surgery. Our overall mission is to develop, manufacture and
market innovative,  high margin visual implants that improve a patient's quality
of vision.

         Cataract  Surgery.   Initially,   our  main  product  was  a  foldable,
implantable silicone lens for use after small incision cataract extraction.  The
production and sale of intraocular  lenses, or IOLs,  remains our core business.
Since that time we have  expanded our range of IOLs and other  products  used in
cataract surgery to also include the following:

     o Silicone Toric IOLs, used in cataract surgery to treat astigmatic  vision
       abnormalities;

     o Collamer(R) IOLs, made of a proprietary  collagen-based  material,  which
       are used in cataract surgery to treat spherical vision abnormalities;

     o STAARVISC(TM)II, a viscoelastic material;

     o the  SonicWAVE(TM)Phacoemulsification  System,  which is used to remove a
       cataract  patient's  diseased  lens and has  unique  low  energy and high
       vacuum characteristics; and

     o UltraVac(TM)    V1   tubing   for   use   with    certain    Venturi-type
       phacoemulsification machines.

These give us a rounded  portfolio of products to meet the needs of the cataract
surgeon. Currently, these products generate the majority of our revenues.

         Refractive Surgery. In the area of refractive surgery, we have used our
uniquely   biocompatible  Collamer  material  to  develop  and  manufacture  the
Implantable Contact Lens(TM), or ICL(R), and the Toric Implantable Contact Lens,
or TICL(R),  to treat  refractive  disorders such as myopia  (near-sightedness),
hyperopia (far-sightedness) and astigmatism.  These disorders of vision affect a
large  proportion of the  population.  Unlike the IOL, which replaces a cataract
patient's  diseased lens, these products are designed to work with the patient's
natural lens to correct refractive errors.

         The ICL has not yet been approved for use in the United States,  but in
May 2003, STAAR submitted the final module of its Pre-Market Approval Submission
for the ICL to the United States Food and Drug  Administration  (the "FDA").  On
October 3, 2003, the FDA Ophthalmic  Devices Panel of the Center for Devices and
Radiological Health recommended that, with certain  conditions,  the FDA approve
the ICL for use in  correcting  myopia  in the range of -3 to -15  diopters  and
reducing myopia in the range of -15 to -20 diopters. If approved, STAAR believes
that the ICL will have a significant market as an alternative to LASIK and other
available  refractive  surgical  procedures  and will  likely  replace  cataract
surgery products as STAAR's largest source of revenue.  On December 29, 2003, we
received  a Warning  Letter  issued by the FDA.  While we are  acting to quickly
correct the  deficiencies  identified  in the Warning  Letter,  until the FDA is
satisfied with our response we will not be granted approval to market the ICL in
the United States and we may face FDA  restrictions on our established  domestic
lines of business. See "Risk Factors."

     The ICL is approved for use in the countries  comprising the European Union
and in Korea and Canada.  The TICL is in clinical  trials in the United  States,
and is approved for use in the countries comprising the European Union.


                                      -2-


         Glaucoma  Surgery.   STAAR  has  developed  the  AquaFlow(TM)  Collagen
Glaucoma  Drainage  Device (the "AquaFlow  Device") as a surgical  treatment for
glaucoma surgery.  The AquaFlow Device,  approved by the FDA in July 2001, is an
alternative  to current  methods of treating open angle  glaucoma.  The AquaFlow
Device is  implanted  in the sclera  (the white of the eye),  using a  minimally
invasive procedure, for the purpose of reducing intraocular pressure.

         Within each of these sectors,  we also sell other instruments,  devices
and equipment  that we  manufacture  or that are  manufactured  by others in the
ophthalmic industry.  In general,  these products complement STAAR's proprietary
product range and allow us to compete more effectively.

         Our  executive  offices are located at 1911  Walker  Avenue,  Monrovia,
California  91016,  and our  telephone  number is (626)  303-7902.  Our  website
address is  www.staar.com.  The information on our website is not a part of this
prospectus.

The Offering

         The  selling  stockholder  listed  in the  section  of this  prospectus
entitled  "Selling  Stockholder"  may offer and sell up to 120,000 shares of our
common stock.

         Under this prospectus,  the selling  stockholder may sell his shares of
common  stock in the open  market at  prevailing  market  prices  or in  private
transactions at negotiated prices. He may sell the shares directly,  or may sell
them through underwriters,  brokers or dealers. Underwriters, brokers or dealers
may receive discounts,  concessions or commissions from the selling  stockholder
or  from  the  purchaser,  and  this  compensation  might  be in  excess  of the
compensation  customary in the type of transaction involved.  See the section of
this prospectus entitled "Plan of Distribution."

         We will not receive any proceeds from the potential sale of the 120,000
shares offered by the selling stockholder.





                                      -3-

                                  RISK FACTORS

         An  investment  in our common stock  involves a high degree of risk. In
addition  to the other  information  contained  in this  prospectus,  you should
carefully  consider the following risks and uncertainties  before purchasing our
common  stock.  If any of  these  risks  or  uncertainties  were to  occur,  our
business,  financial  condition and operating results could suffer serious harm.
In that case,  the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could
lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

         We have a history of losses.

         We have reported losses in each of the last three fiscal years and have
an  accumulated  deficit of $45.6  million as of October 3, 2003. If losses from
operations continue, they could adversely affect the market price for our common
stock  and our  ability  to  obtain  new  financing.  In  June  2000,  we  began
implementing  a  restructuring  plan  aimed  at  reducing  costs  and  improving
operating  efficiency.  In  connection  with this plan,  we  recognized  pre-tax
charges to earnings of $15.3 million,  $7.8 million,  and $1.5 million in fiscal
2000, 2001, and 2002. While the  restructuring  plan has generally  improved our
profit  margins,  we cannot be certain  that we will  succeed in  restoring  our
profitability.

        We have been in default of the terms of our domestic loan  agreement and
have limited access to credit.

        We have recently  failed to comply with some of the financial  covenants
of our  principal  domestic  loan  agreement,  including  a failure to  maintain
minimum  levels of tangible  net worth in the first  fiscal  quarter of 2003,  a
failure to maintain  minimum levels of operating  income in the second and third
fiscal quarters of 2002 and a failure to maintain minimum levels of cash flow in
the second fiscal  quarter of 2002.  Accordingly,  we have had to obtain waivers
from our lender or modifications of our loan agreement.  As of June 19, 2003, we
have paid off and eliminated our domestic loan, and have outstanding balances on
the loans of our European  subsidiaries of approximately $3.3 million,  based on
exchange rates on October 3, 2003. In the near term, we believe that  sufficient
cash to fund  operations  and  current  growth  plans will be  provided  by cash
generated  from  operations  and the  proceeds  of our  June  11,  2003  private
placement,  in which  we  raised  proceeds,  net of  placement  agent  fees,  of
approximately  $9  million  by selling  1,000,000  shares of our  common  stock.
However,  it is  likely  that in the  future  we will  need  access to credit to
finance  operations and fund future growth.  Because of our history of losses we
may not be able secure  adequate  financing for these purposes on terms that are
favorable to us or on any terms.

         We have  received  a  Warning  Letter  from the FDA which  could  delay
approval of the ICL and limit our existing business in the United States.

         On December 29, 2003,  we received a Warning  Letter issued by the FDA.
While we are  acting to  quickly  correct  the  deficiencies  identified  in the
Warning  Letter,  until the FDA is  satisfied  with our  response we will not be
granted  approval  to market  the ICL in the  United  States and we may face FDA
restrictions  on our  established  domestic  lines of business.  Even if the FDA
approves our corrective action, the publication of the Warning Letter or similar
actions in the future could harm our  reputation and reduce sales. A copy of the
Warning  Letter is  attached as Exhibit  99.1 to our Current  Report on Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 9, 2004.

        Our success  depends on the ICL,  which has not been approved for use in
the United States.

        We have devoted  significant  resources and management  attention to the
development and  introduction of our ICL and TICL. Our management  believes that
the future  success of STAAR depends on the approval of the ICL by the FDA and a
successful  launch of the ICL in North America.  The ICL is already approved for
use in the countries  comprising  the European  Union and Canada and in parts of

                                      -4-



Asia.  The TICL is approved  for use in the  countries  comprising  the European
Union.  In May 2003,  we submitted the final module of our  Pre-Market  Approval
Submission  for the ICL to the FDA,  and on  October  3,  2003 the FDA  Advisory
Committee recommended that FDA approve,  with conditions,  specified uses of the
ICL.  The FDA has not yet acted on this  recommendation,  and it could decide to
reject the Advisory Committee's recommendations. Until the FDA is satisfied with
our response to the Warning  Letter  issued by the FDA on December 22, 2003,  we
will not be granted approval to market the ICL in the United States.  If the FDA
does not grant  approval  of the ICL,  or  significantly  delays  its  approval,
whether because of the issues contained in the Warning Letter or otherwise,  our
prospects for success will be severely diminished.

        Our success depends on the successful marketing of the ICL in the United
States market.

         Even if it is  approved  by the FDA,  the ICL will not  reach  its full
sales potential unless we successfully plan and execute its launch and marketing
in the  United  States.  This  will  present  new  challenges  to our  sales and
marketing  staff  and  to our  independent  manufacturers'  representatives.  In
countries  where  the ICL has  been  approved  to date,  our  sales  have  grown
steadily,  but slowly.  In the United States in  particular,  patients who might
benefit from the ICL have  already  been exposed to a great deal of  advertising
and publicity about laser refractive  surgery,  but have little if any awareness
of the ICL. As a result,  we expect to make  extensive  use of  advertising  and
promotion  targeted to potential  patients through  providers,  and to carefully
manage the  introduction  of the ICL. We do not have unlimited  resources and we
cannot  predict  whether the  particular  marketing,  advertising  and promotion
strategies  we  pursue  will  be as  successful  as  we  intend.  If  we do  not
successfully  market  the ICL in the  United  States,  we will not  achieve  our
planned profitability and growth.

        Our core domestic business has suffered  declining sales, which sales of
new products have only partially offset.

         STAAR pioneered the foldable IOL for use in cataract  surgery,  and the
foldable silicone IOL remains our largest source of revenue. Since we introduced
the product,  however,  competitors  have introduced IOLs employing a variety of
designs and  materials.  Over the years these  products have  gradually  taken a
larger  share of the IOL  market,  while the  market  share  for STAAR  IOLs has
decreased.  In  particular,  many  surgeons  now choose  lenses  made of acrylic
material  rather  than  silicone  for their  typical  patients.  In an effort to
maintain our competitive  position we have introduced a new  biocompatible  lens
material,  Collamer,  to our  line of  IOLs.  We have  also  introduced  new IOL
designs,  such as the Toric IOL, pioneered  cartridge-injector  systems for lens
insertion,  and have  continued to improve and refine the silicone IOL. Sales of
these new products,  however,  have only partially offset declining sales of our
silicone IOLs.

         We depend on independent manufacturers' representatives.

         In an effort to reduce costs and bring our products to a wider  market,
we have entered into  long-term  agreements  with several  independent  regional
manufacturers'  representatives,  who introduce our products to eye surgeons and
provide  the  training  needed to begin  using some of our  products.  Under our
agreements with these representatives,  each receives a commission on all of our
sales within a specified region,  including sales on products we sell into their
territories without their assistance.  Because they are independent contractors,
we have a limited ability to manage these representatives or their employees. In
addition,  a  representative  may  represent  manufacturers  other  than  STAAR,

                                      -5-


although not in  competing  products.  We have been  relying on the  independent
representatives to introduce our new products like Collamer IOLs, Toric IOLs and
the AquaFlow  Device,  and we will rely on them, in part, to help  introduce the
ICL if it is  approved.  However,  we are also  introducing  direct  application
specialists  to assist in proctoring  and surgeon  training to ensure  physician
compliance  and enhance  patient  outcomes as a means of growing this segment of
the  market.  If the  introduction  of  direct  application  specialists  is not
successful,  or our  independent  manufacturers'  representatives  do not devote
sufficient  resources to marketing our  products,  or if they lack the skills or
resources to market our new products,  our new products will fail to reach their
full sales potential and sales of our established products could decline.

         Product recalls have been costly and may be so in the future.

         Implantable  medical  devices  must  be  manufactured  to  the  highest
standards and tolerances,  and often  incorporate  newly  developed  technology.
Despite all efforts to achieve the highest level of quality  control and advance
testing,  from time to time defects or  technical  flaws in our products may not
come to  light  until  after  the  products  are  sold or  consigned.  In  those
circumstances,  we have  previously  made  voluntary  recalls  of our  products.
Recalls significantly  impacted our revenue in 2001 when, in separate instances,
we  voluntarily  recalled our  three-piece  Collamer  lens and certain  silicone
lenses,  and as a result wrote down  approximately  $3.4 million in inventory in
that  year.  In January  2004,  we  voluntarily  recalled  selected  lots of IOL
cartridges,  although  the  impact of that  recall on the  Company's  results of
operations  is not expected to be  material.  Similar  recalls  could take place
again.  Courts or regulators can also impose mandatory recalls on us, even if we
believe our products are safe and effective. Recalls result in lost sales of the
recalled  products  themselves,  and can  result in  further  lost  sales  while
replacement  products are  manufactured,  especially if the replacements must be
redesigned.  If recalled products have already been implanted,  we may bear some
or  all  of the  cost  of  corrective  surgery.  Recalls  may  also  damage  our
professional  reputation and the reputation of our products.  The  inconvenience
caused by recalls and  related  interruptions  in supply,  and the damage to our
reputation, could cause some professionals to discontinue using our products.

         We compete with much larger companies.

         Our  competitors,  including  Bausch  & Lomb,  Inc.,  Advanced  Medical
Optics,  Inc. (AMO),  Alcon, Inc., Pfizer,  Inc. and the CIBA Vision division of
Novartis AG, have much greater  financial  resources than we do and some of them
have large international markets for a full suite of ophthalmic products.  Their
greater  resources for research,  development  and marketing,  and their greater
capacity to offer  comprehensive  products and equipment to  providers,  make it
difficult for us to compete.  We have lost  significant  market share to some of
our competitors.

         Most of our products have single-site manufacturing approvals, exposing
us to risks of business interruption.

         We manufacture  all of our products either at our facility in Monrovia,
California  or our  facility in Nidau,  Switzerland.  Most of our  products  are
approved  for  manufacturing  only at one of these  sites.  Before  we can use a
second  manufacturing site for an implantable device we must obtain the approval
of regulatory  authorities.  Because this process is expensive we have generally
not sought  approvals  needed to manufacture at an additional site. If a natural
disaster,  fire,  or  other  serious  business  interruption  struck  one of our

                                      -6-



manufacturing facilities, it could take a significant amount of time to validate
a second site and replace lost product.  We could lose customers to competitors,
thereby reducing sales, profitability and market share.

Risks Related to the Ophthalmic Products Industry

         If we  fail to keep  pace  with  advances  in our  industry  or fail to
persuade  physicians to adopt the new products we  introduce,  customers may not
buy our products and our revenue may decline.

         Constant  development of new technologies and techniques,  frequent new
product  introductions and strong price competition  characterize the ophthalmic
industry.  The first  company to  introduce a new product or technique to market
usually gains a significant competitive advantage. Our future growth depends, in
part, on our ability to develop  products to treat diseases and disorders of the
eye that are more effective,  safer, or incorporate emerging technologies better
than our  competitors'  products.  Sales of our  existing  products  may decline
rapidly if one of our competitors  introduces a substantially  superior product,
or if we  announce  a new  product  of our  own.  Similarly,  if we fail to make
sufficient   investments  in  research  and   development  or  if  we  focus  on
technologies  that do not lead to  better  products,  our  current  and  planned
products could be surpassed by more effective or advanced products.

         In addition, we must manufacture these products economically and market
them successfully by persuading a sufficient number of eye care professionals to
use them. For example, glaucoma requires ongoing treatment over a long period of
time; thus, many doctors are reluctant to switch a patient to a new treatment if
the patient's current treatment for glaucoma remains effective.  This has been a
challenge in selling our new Aquaflow Device.

         Resources  devoted  to  research  and  development  may not  yield  new
products that achieve commercial success.

         We spent 10.3% of our revenue on research  and  development  during the
first nine months of 2003, and we expect to spend comparable amounts annually in
the future.  Development of new implantable  technology,  from discovery through
testing and  registration to initial product launch,  is expensive and typically
takes from three to seven years.  Because of the complexities and  uncertainties
of ophthalmic research and development, products we are currently developing may
not complete the development process or obtain the regulatory approvals required
for us to market the products  successfully.  It is possible that few or none of
the products currently under development will become commercially successful.

         Failure of users of our products to obtain adequate  reimbursement from
third-party  payors could limit market  acceptance of our products,  which could
affect our sales and profits.

         Many of our products,  in particular  IOLs and products  related to the
treatment of glaucoma,  are used in  procedures  that are  typically  covered by
health insurance, HMO plans, Medicare or Medicaid. These third-party payors have
recently  been trying to contain  costs by  restricting  the types of procedures
they  reimburse to those viewed as most  cost-effective  and capping or reducing
reimbursement rates.  These policies could adversely  affect sales and prices of
our  products.  Physicians,  hospitals  and other health care  providers  may be
reluctant  to purchase  our  products if  third-party  payors do not  adequately

                                      -7-


reimburse  them  for the  cost  of our  products  and  the  use of our  surgical
equipment. For example:

     o   Major third-party  payors for hospital services,  including  government
         insurance plans,  Medicare,  Medicaid and private health care insurers,
         have substantially  revised their payment methodologies during the last
         few  years,  resulting  in  stricter  standards  for  reimbursement  of
         hospital and outpatient charges for some medical procedures,  including
         cataract procedures and IOLs;

     o   Numerous  legislative  proposals have been considered that, if enacted,
         would result in major reforms in the United States' health care system,
         which could have an adverse effect on our business;

     o   Our competitors  may reduce the prices of their  products,  which could
         result in third-party payors favoring our competitors;

     o   There are proposed and existing laws and regulations  governing maximum
         product  prices and the  profitability  of companies in the health care
         industry; and

     o   There have been recent  initiatives by third-party  payors to challenge
         the prices charged for medical  products.  Reductions in the prices for
         our  products in response to these  trends  could  reduce our  profits.
         Moreover,  our products may not be covered in the future by third-party
         payors, which would also reduce our sales.

         We are subject to extensive government regulation,  which increases our
costs and could prevent us from selling our products.

         Government  regulations  and agency  oversight apply to every aspect of
our  business,  including  testing,  manufacturing,   safety  and  environmental
controls, efficacy, labeling,  advertising,  promotion, record keeping, the sale
and  distribution  of products  and samples.  We are also subject to  government
regulation  over the  prices we charge and the  rebates  we offer to  customers.
Complying  with  government  regulation  substantially  increases  the  cost  of
developing, manufacturing and selling our products.

         In the United  States,  we must obtain  approval  from the FDA for each
product that we market.  Competing in the ophthalmic  products industry requires
us to  continuously  introduce new or improved  products and  processes,  and to
submit  these to the FDA for  approval.  Obtaining  FDA  approval  is a long and
expensive process, and approval is never certain. In addition, our operations in
the United States are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA. Such inspection
may result in the FDA ordering changes in our business practices,  which changes
could be costly and have a material  adverse  effect on our business and results
of operations.

         Products  distributed  outside of the United States are also subject to
government regulation,  which may be equally or more demanding. Our new products
could  take a  significantly  longer  time  than we  expect  to gain  regulatory
approval and may never gain approval.  If a regulatory authority delays approval
of a potentially significant product, the potential sales of the product and its
value to us can be substantially  reduced. Even if the FDA or another regulatory
agency  approves a product,  the  approval may limit the  indicated  uses of the
product, or may otherwise limit our ability to promote,  sell and distribute the
product, or may require  post-marketing  studies. If we cannot obtain regulatory

                                      -8-


approval of our new products,  or if the approval is too narrow,  we will not be
able to market these  products,  which would  eliminate or reduce our  potential
sales and earnings.

         The  global  nature of our  business  may  result in  fluctuations  and
declines in our sales and profits.

         Our  products  are  sold  in  more  than 39  countries.  Revenues  from
international operations make up a significant portion of our total revenue. For
the nine months ended  October 3, 2003 revenues  from  international  operations
were 53%. The results of operations  and the financial  position of our offshore
operations  are reported in the relevant local  currencies  and then  translated
into United States dollars at the applicable exchange rates for inclusion in our
consolidated financial statements, exposing us to translation risk. In addition,
we are exposed to transaction  risk because some of our expenses are incurred in
a different  currency from the currency in which our revenues are  received.  In
2003, our most significant currency exposures were to the Euro, the Swiss Franc,
and the  Australian  dollar.  The exchange  rates  between these and other local
currencies and the United States dollar may fluctuate substantially. We have not
attempted to offset our exposure to these risks by investing in  derivatives  or
engaging in other hedging transactions.  Fluctuations in the value of the United
States dollar against other currencies have had a material adverse effect on our
operating margins and profitability in the past, and may have similar effects in
the future.

         Economic,  social and political  conditions,  laws, practices and local
customs  vary widely  among the  countries  in which we sell our  products.  Our
operations  outside  of the United  States are  subject to a number of risks and
potential costs,  including lower profit margins,  less stringent  protection of
intellectual  property and economic,  political and social  uncertainty  in some
countries,  especially in emerging  markets.  Our continued  success as a global
company depends,  in part, on our ability to develop and implement  policies and
strategies that are effective in anticipating and managing these and other risks
in the countries where we do business. These and other risks may have a material
adverse effect on our  operations in any particular  country and on our business
as a whole.  We price  some of our  products  in U.S.  dollars,  and as a result
changes in exchange  rates can make our products more expensive in some offshore
markets and reduce our  revenues.  Inflation in emerging  markets also makes our
products  more  expensive  there and  increases the credit risks to which we are
exposed.  We have  experienced  currency  fluctuations,  inflation  and volatile
economic  conditions,  which  have  affected  our  profitability  in the past in
several markets, including Japan, Switzerland, the European Union and Australia,
and we may experience such effects in the future.

         We depend on proprietary  technologies,  but may not be able to protect
our intellectual property rights adequately.

         We have numerous patents and pending patent applications.  We rely on a
combination of contractual  provisions,  confidentiality  procedures and patent,
trademark,  copyright and trade secrecy laws to protect the proprietary  aspects
of our technology.  These legal measures  afford limited  protection and may not
prevent our  competitors  from gaining access to our  intellectual  property and
proprietary  information.  Any of our  patents may be  challenged,  invalidated,
circumvented or rendered unenforceable.  Furthermore,  we cannot be certain that
any pending  patent  application  held by us will result in an issued  patent or

                                      -9-


that if patents are issued to us, the patents will provide meaningful protection
against competitors or competitive technologies.  Litigation may be necessary to
enforce our intellectual  property  rights,  to protect our trade secrets and to
determine the validity and scope of our proprietary rights. Any litigation could
result in  substantial  expense,  may reduce our profits and may not  adequately
protect our  intellectual  property  rights.  In addition,  we may be exposed to
future  litigation by third  parties based on claims that our products  infringe
their  intellectual  property rights.  This risk is exacerbated by the fact that
the  validity  and  breadth of claims  covered by  patents in our  industry  may
involve complex legal issues that are not fully resolved.

         Any litigation or claims against us, whether or not  successful,  could
result in substantial costs and harm our reputation.  In addition,  intellectual
property litigation or claims could force us to do one or more of the following:
to cease selling or using any of our products that  incorporate  the  challenged
intellectual property,  which would adversely affect our revenue; to negotiate a
license from the holder of the intellectual  property right alleged to have been
infringed, which license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all; or
to redesign our products to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of
a  third  party,  which  may be  costly  and  time-consuming  or  impossible  to
accomplish.

         We obtain some of the  components of our products from a single source,
and an interruption in the supply of those components could reduce our revenue.

         We obtain some of the components for our products from a single source.
For example,  only one supplier  produces the raw material for the  STAARVISC II
viscoelastic  product.  Although we believe we could find alternate supplies for
any of these  components,  the loss or  interruption  of any of these  suppliers
could  increase  costs,  reducing  our  revenue and  profitability,  or harm our
customer relations by delaying product deliveries.

         We may  not  successfully  develop  and  launch  replacements  for  our
products that lose patent protection.

         Most of our  products  are covered by patents  that give us a degree of
market exclusivity during the term of the patent. We have also earned revenue in
the past by  licensing  some of our  patented  technology  to  other  ophthalmic
companies.  The legal  life of a patent is 20 years  from  application.  Patents
covering our products will expire from this year through the next 20 years. Upon
patent  expiration,  our  competitors  may  introduce  products  using  the same
technology. As a result of this possible increase in competition, we may need to
charge a lower price in order to  maintain  sales of our  products,  which could
make these  products  less  profitable.  If we fail to develop and  successfully
launch  new  products  prior  to the  expiration  of  patents  for our  existing
products,  our sales and profits with respect to those  products  could  decline
significantly.  We may not be able  to  develop  and  successfully  launch  more
advanced replacement products before these and other patents expire.

         Our  activities  involve  hazardous  materials  and  emissions  and may
subject us to environmental liability.

         Our  manufacturing,  research  and  development  practices  involve the
controlled  use of  hazardous  materials.  We are subject to federal,  state and

                                      -10-


local  laws  and  regulations  in the  various  jurisdictions  in  which we have
operations governing the use, manufacturing,  storage,  handling and disposal of
these materials and certain waste products.  Although we believe that our safety
and  environmental  procedures  for  handling and  disposing of these  materials
comply with legally  prescribed  standards,  we cannot completely  eliminate the
risk of  accidental  contamination  or injury  from  these  materials.  Remedial
environmental  actions could require us to incur  substantial  unexpected costs,
which would  materially and adversely  affect our results of  operations.  If we
were involved in a major  environmental  accident or found to be in  substantial
non-compliance  with applicable  environmental laws, we could be held liable for
damages or penalized with fines.

         We risk losses through litigation.

         We are currently party to various claims and legal proceedings  arising
out of the normal  course of our  business.  These claims and legal  proceedings
relate to contractual rights and obligations,  employment matters, and claims of
product liability. While we do not believe that any of the claims known to us is
likely to have a material  adverse effect on our financial  condition or results
of operations, new claims or unexpected results of existing claims could lead to
significant financial harm.

         We depend on key employees.

         We depend on the continued  service of our senior  management and other
key employees.  The loss of a key employee could hurt our business.  We could be
particularly hurt if any key employee or employees went to work for competitors.
Our future  success  depends  on our  ability to  identify,  attract,  train and
motivate other highly skilled  personnel.  Failure to do so may adversely affect
future results.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

         Our Certificate of Incorporation  could delay or prevent an acquisition
or sale of our company.

         Our  Certificate  of  Incorporation  empowers the Board of Directors to
establish  and issue a class of preferred  stock,  and to determine  the rights,
preferences and privileges of the preferred  stock. We also have a Stockholders'
Rights  Plan,  which  could  discourage  a third  party from  making an offer to
acquire us. These  provisions  give the Board of Directors the ability to deter,
discourage  or make more  difficult a change in control of our company,  even if
such a change in control would be in the interest of a significant number of our
stockholders or if such a change in control would provide our stockholders  with
a substantial premium for their shares over the then-prevailing market price for
the common stock.

         Our bylaws contain other  provisions  that could have an  anti-takeover
effect, including the following:

     o   only one of the three classes of directors is elected each year;

                                      -11-


     o   stockholders have limited ability to remove directors;

     o   stockholders cannot call a special meeting of stockholders; and

     o   stockholders must give advance notice to nominate directors.

         Anti-takeover  provisions  of  Delaware  law could  delay or prevent an
acquisition of our company.

         We are subject to the  anti-takeover  provisions  of Section 203 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law, which regulates corporate acquisitions.  These
provisions could discourage potential  acquisition  proposals and could delay or
prevent a change in  control  transaction.  They  could  also have the effect of
discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock or preventing
changes in our management.

         Future sales of our common stock may depress our stock price.

         The market price of our common stock could be subject to downward price
pressure  as a result of sales of our  recent  private  placement  of  1,000,000
shares of common stock, which have been registered for resale, or the perception
that these sales could occur. In addition,  the perception that we might conduct
similar private  placements  followed by public offering of the privately placed
shares  could  make it more  difficult  for us to  raise  funds  through  future
offerings of common stock. As of January 12, 2004,  there were 18,407,590 shares
of our common stock  outstanding,  with another 2,536,466 shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of options  granted under our stock option plans or under
certain agreements with our senior officers.  Some of the stock underlying these
options has been registered for resale with the SEC.

         The market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile.

         Our stock price has  fluctuated  widely,  ranging  from $3.05 to $15.44
within the past year, as of January 12, 2004.  Our stock price could continue to
experience  significant  fluctuations  in response to factors  such as quarterly
variations  in  operating   results,   operating  results  that  vary  from  the
expectations  of  securities  analysts  and  investors,   changes  in  financial
estimates,  changes in market valuations of competitors,  announcements by us or
our competitors of a material nature,  additions or departures of key personnel,
future  sales of common  stock  and stock  volume  fluctuations.  Also,  general
political   and  economic   conditions   such  as  recession  or  interest  rate
fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our stock.

                                 USE OF PROCEEDS

         We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of up to 120,000  shares
of our common stock being offered by the selling stockholder.

                                      -12-


                               SELLING STOCKHOLDER

      The  following  table  lists the  number of  shares  of our  common  stock
registered for sale by the selling  stockholder  under this prospectus.  It also
shows the total  number of shares of common  stock owned by him before and after
the offering,  and the percentage of our total outstanding shares represented by
these amounts.  The table assumes that the selling  stockholder will sell all of
the common stock being offered by this prospectus for his account.  However, the
selling  stockholder  has no obligation to sell any of his shares,  so we cannot
determine the exact number of shares he actually will sell.

      The selling  stockholder  was a member of our board of directors  until he
resigned on January 28, 2003. He has had no other  relationship with our company
other than as stockholder and director  during the last three fiscal years.  The
selling  stockholder  purchased the shares offered in this prospectus from us in
transactions that were exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933
under Section 4(2) of the Act or Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated  under the
Act.

     The table is based on information provided by the selling stockholder,  and
does not necessarily  indicate beneficial  ownership for any other purpose.  The
number of shares of common stock beneficially  owned by the selling  stockholder
is  determined  in  accordance  with the  rules of the  SEC.  The term  "selling
stockholder"   includes  the  stockholder  listed  below  and  his  transferees,
assignees,  pledgees,  donees or other  successors.  The  percent of  beneficial
ownership for the selling  stockholder  is based on 18,407,590  shares of common
stock outstanding as of January 12, 2004.



                                                         Percent of                                   Percent of
                                           Number of     Outstanding     Number of      Number of     Outstanding
                                           Shares of      Shares of      Shares of      Shares of      Shares of
                                            Common         Common         Common         Common         Common
                                             Stock          Stock        Stock to         Stock          Stock
                                          Beneficially   Beneficially   be Offered     Beneficially   Beneficially
                                             Owned          Owned        Pursuant         Owned          Owned
                                           Prior to       Prior to        to this       After the      After the
                                                 ---            ---
      Name of Selling Stockholder         Offering (1)   Offering (1)   Prospectus     Offering (2)   Offering (2)
      ---------------------------         ------------   ------------   ----------     ------------   ------------
                                                                              
Dr. Peter J. Utrata(3)                       160,000        * %            120,000        40,000          *%
303 E. Town Street
Columbus, OH  43215
___________

* Represents less than 1% of the outstanding shares.

(1)  The number and  percentage  of shares  beneficially  owned is determined in
     accordance  with Rule  13d-3 of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  as
     amended,  and the information is not  necessarily  indicative of beneficial
     ownership  for any other  purpose.  Under Rule 13d-3,  the number of shares
     beneficially  owned  includes  any  shares as to which a person has sole or
     shared  voting  power or  investment  power.  Shares which a person has the
     right to acquire within 60 days of the date of this prospectus are included
     in the shares  owned by that  person and are  treated  as  outstanding  for
     purposes of calculating  the ownership  percentage of that person,  but not
     for any other person.

(2)  Assumes that all shares being offered by the selling stockholder under this
     prospectus are sold,  that the selling  stockholder  acquires no additional
     shares of common stock before the completion of this offering, and that the
     selling stockholder  disposes of no shares of common stock other than those
     offered under this prospectus.

(3)  Includes  options to purchase up to 40,000 shares of STAAR Surgical Company
     common stock.

                                      -13-



                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

         The selling stockholder and his successors,  including his transferees,
pledgees or donees,  may sell the shares covered by this prospectus from time to
time for his own account.  He will act  independently  of us in making decisions
regarding  the timing,  manner and size of each sale.  He may sell his shares on
the Nasdaq National Market or other exchanges, in the over-the-counter market or
in privately negotiated transactions. He may sell his shares directly or through
underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, who may receive compensation in the form
of discounts,  concessions,  or commissions from the selling stockholder or from
the  purchasers  of  the  shares.  The  compensation  received  by a  particular
underwriter, broker, dealer or agent might exceed customary commissions.

         The shares of common stock may be sold in one or more  transactions  at
fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related
to the  prevailing  market prices,  at varying prices  determined at the time of
sale, or at negotiated prices.

         The  selling  stockholder  may  sell  his  shares  through  any  of the
following methods or any combination of these methods:

     o   purchases  by a broker  or  dealer as a  principal  and  resale by that
         broker or dealer for its own account under this prospectus;

     o   ordinary  brokerage  transactions  and transactions in which the broker
         solicits  purchasers,  which may include long or short sales made after
         the   effectiveness  of  the  registration   statement  of  which  this
         prospectus is a part;

     o   cross trades or block  trades in which the broker or dealer  engaged to
         make the sale will attempt to sell the securities as an agent,  but may
         position and resell a portion of the block as a principal to facilitate
         the transaction;

     o   through the writing of options;

     o   in other  ways not  involving  market  makers  or  established  trading
         markets,  including  direct sales to  purchasers  or sales made through
         agents;

     o   any combination of the above transactions; or

     o   any other lawful method.

         In addition,  any securities  covered by this prospectus  which qualify
for sale in compliance  with Rule 144  promulgated  under the  Securities Act of
1933 may be sold under Rule 144 rather than under this prospectus.

         The  selling  stockholder  may enter  into  hedging  transactions  with
broker-dealers in connection with  distributions of the shares or otherwise.  In
these transactions,  broker-dealers may engage in short sales of common stock in
the course of hedging the positions they assume with the selling stockholder.

                                      -14-


         The selling  stockholder  also may sell shares short and  redeliver the
shares to close out such short  positions.  He may enter  into  options or other
transactions with  broker-dealers that require the delivery to the broker-dealer
of the shares.  The  broker-dealer  may then resell or  otherwise  transfer  the
shares  covered by this  prospectus  (which may be  amended or  supplemented  to
reflect the  transaction).  The selling  stockholder also may loan or pledge the
shares to a  broker-dealer  or another  financial  institution.  If the  selling
stockholder  defaults on the loan or the obligation  secured by the pledge,  the
broker-dealer or institution may sell the shares so loaned or pledged under this
prospectus (which may be amended or supplemented to reflect the transaction).

         Broker-dealers  or  agents  may  receive  compensation  in the  form of
commissions,  discounts  or  concessions  from the  selling  stockholder  or his
successors.  Broker-dealers  or agents may also  receive  compensation  from the
purchasers  for whom they act as agents or to whom they sell as  principals,  or
both. Compensation received by a particular  broker-dealer might be in excess of
customary commissions and will be in amounts to be negotiated in connection with
the sale.

         Broker-dealers or agents and any other participating  broker-dealers or
the selling  stockholder or his  successors  may be deemed to be  "underwriters"
within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the  Securities  Act in  connection  with
sales of  shares.  Accordingly,  any such  commission,  discount  or  concession
received  by them and any profit on the resale of the shares  purchased  by them
may be deemed to be underwriting  discounts or commissions  under the Securities
Act.

         The selling stockholder has advised us that he has not entered into any
agreements,   understandings   or   arrangements   with  any   underwriters   or
broker-dealers  regarding  the  sale of his  securities  and  that  there  is no
underwriter or  coordinating  broker acting in connection with the proposed sale
of shares by the selling stockholder.

         We have agreed to pay the expenses of registering  the shares under the
Securities  Act,  including  registration  and filing fees,  printing  expenses,
administrative  expenses  and certain  legal and  accounting  fees.  The selling
stockholder  will bear all discounts,  commissions  or other amounts  payable to
underwriters,  dealers  or  agents as well as fees and  disbursements  for legal
counsel retained by the selling stockholder.

         The selling  stockholder  may agree to indemnify  any agent,  dealer or
broker-dealer  that  participates  in  transactions  involving  sales of  shares
against liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

         Because the selling  stockholder  may be deemed to be an  "underwriter"
within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act, he will be subject to
the prospectus  delivery  requirements of the Securities Act. If we are required
to  supplement  this  prospectus  or  post-effectively  amend  the  registration
statement  to  disclose  a  specific  plan  of   distribution   of  the  selling
stockholder,  the supplement or amendment  will describe the  particulars of the
plan of distribution,  including the shares of common stock,  purchase price and
names of any agent, broker,  dealer, or underwriter or arrangements  relating to
any such an entity or applicable commissions.

                                      -15-


         Under  applicable rules and regulations  under the Securities  Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, no person engaged in the distribution of the shares may
simultaneously  engage in market  making  activities  with respect to our common
stock for a restricted  period before the commencement of the  distribution.  In
addition,  the selling  stockholder will be subject to applicable  provisions of
the Securities  Exchange Act and the associated rules and regulations  under the
Securities  Exchange Act,  including  Regulation M, the  provisions of which may
limit  the  timing  of  purchases  and  sales  of  the  shares  by  the  selling
stockholder.

         We  will  make  copies  of this  prospectus  available  to the  selling
stockholder  and have  informed the selling  stockholder  of the need to deliver
copies of this prospectus to purchasers at or before the time of any sale of the
shares.

         Our common  stock is traded on the  Nasdaq  National  Market  under the
symbol  "STAA." The  transfer  agent for our shares of common  stock is American
Stock Transfer & Trust Co., 59 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038.

                                  LEGAL MATTERS

         The  validity  of the  issuance  of the shares of common  stock in this
offering will be passed upon for us by Sheppard,  Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP,
Los Angeles, California.

                                     EXPERTS

         The  consolidated  financial  statements  and the related  consolidated
financial  statement schedule  incorporated in this prospectus by reference from
our Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal  year ended  January 3, 2003,  as
amended,  have been audited by BDO Seidman,  LLP,  independent  certified public
accountants,  as stated in their report dated February 21, 2003 (except for Note
18, as to which the report is dated  March 26,  2003,  and Notes 6 and 19, as to
which the report is dated November 17, 2003),  which is  incorporated  herein by
reference,  and have been so  incorporated  in reliance  upon the report of such
firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

                       WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

         Because  we  are  subject  to  the  informational  requirements  of the
Securities Exchange Act, we file reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC. You may read and copy these  reports,  proxy  statements and other
information at the public  reference room maintained by the SEC at the following
address:

                              Public Reference Room
                             450 Fifth Street, N.W.
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

You may obtain  information  on the  operation of the public  reference  room by
calling  the  SEC at  (800)  SEC-0330.  In  addition,  we are  required  to file
electronic  versions  of those  materials  with the SEC  through the SEC's EDGAR
system.  The SEC  maintains  a web site at  http://www.sec.gov,  which  contains
reports,  proxy statements and other information regarding registrants that file
electronically with the SEC.

                                      -16-


         We have filed with the SEC a  registration  statement on Form S-3 under
the Securities Act with respect to the securities  offered with this prospectus.
This  prospectus  does not contain all of the  information  in the  registration
statement,  parts of which we have  omitted,  as  allowed  under  the  rules and
regulations  of the SEC.  You should  refer to the  registration  statement  for
further information with respect to us and our securities.  Statements contained
in this  prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document are not
necessarily  complete  and, in each  instance,  we refer you to the copy of each
contract or document filed as an exhibit to the registration  statement.  Copies
of the registration  statement,  including  exhibits,  may be inspected  without
charge at the SEC's  principal  office in  Washington,  D.C., and you may obtain
copies from that office upon payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC.

         We will  furnish  without  charge to each person to whom a copy of this
prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of the information
that has been  incorporated by reference into this prospectus  (except exhibits,
unless they are  specifically  incorporated by reference into this  prospectus).
You should direct any requests for copies to: Investor Relations, STAAR Surgical
Company, 1911 Walker Avenue, Monrovia,  California 91016, telephone number (626)
303-7902.

                      INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

         The  Securities  and  Exchange   Commission,   or  SEC,  allows  us  to
"incorporate by reference" in this prospectus the information  that we file with
the SEC. This means that we can disclose important  information by referring the
reader to those SEC  filings.  The  information  incorporated  by  reference  is
considered to be part of this prospectus, and later information we file with the
SEC will update and supersede this information.  We incorporate by reference the
documents  listed below and any future  filings made with the SEC under  Section
13(a),  13(c),  14,  or  15(d)  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act  prior  to the
termination of the offering:

     o   our  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal  year ended  January 3,
         2003, as amended;

     o   our Quarterly  Reports on Form 10-Q for our fiscal quarters ended April
         4, 2003, as amended, July 4, 2003, as amended and October 3, 2003;

     o   our Current  Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 31,  2003,
         as amended, June 6, 2003, June 13, 2003, August 25, 2003 (as amended
         on September 4, 2003 and November 7, 2003) and January 9, 2004; and



     o   the description of our common stock contained in Amendment No. 1 to our
         registration  statement  on Form 8-A/A  filed with the SEC on April 18,
         2003,  including  any  amendment  or report  filed for the  purpose  of
         updating this description.

                                      -17-


         You may obtain  copies of those  documents  from us,  free of cost,  by
contacting us at the address or telephone number provided in "Where You Can Find
More Information" immediately above.






                                      -18-


                                     PART II
                     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14.  Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

         The  following  table sets forth the costs and expenses  payable by the
Registrant in  connection  with the sale of common stock being  registered.  All
amounts are estimates except the Securities and Exchange Commission registration
fee.

     Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee........      $   105
     Nasdaq National Market additional listing fee..............            0
     Accounting fees and expenses...............................        5,000
     Legal fees and expenses....................................        5,000
     Printing and related fees..................................          100
     Miscellaneous..............................................          200
     ------------------------------------------------                 -------
     Total......................................................     $ 10,405

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

         Section 145 of the Delaware  General  Corporation  Law provides  that a
corporation may indemnify  directors and officers as well as other employees and
individuals against expenses (including attorneys' fees),  judgments,  fines and
amounts paid in  settlement  in  connection  with  specified  actions,  suits or
proceedings,  whether civil,  criminal,  administrative or investigative  (other
than an action by or in the right of the corporation or a derivative action), if
they acted in good faith and in a manner  they  reasonably  believed to be in or
not opposed to the best  interests of the  corporation  and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceedings, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct
was unlawful.

         A similar  standard is applicable  in the case of  derivative  actions,
except that indemnification only extends to expenses (including attorneys' fees)
actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of
such action,  and the statute  requires court  approval  before there can be any
indemnification  where the person seeking  indemnification has been found liable
to the  corporation.  The statute  provides  that it is not  exclusive  of other
indemnification   that  may  be  granted  by  a  corporation's   certificate  of
incorporation,  bylaws, disinterested director vote, stockholder vote, agreement
or otherwise.

         As permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware  General  Corporation  Law,
Article VIII of our certificate of incorporation, as amended, provides:

         "The  corporation  shall to the fullest  extent  permitted  by
         Section 145 of the Delaware General  Corporation Law indemnify
         all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto."

         Our by-laws  provide for  indemnification  of officers and directors to
the fullest extent  permitted by Delaware law. In addition,  the Registrant has,
and intends in the future to enter into,  agreements to provide  indemnification
for directors and officers in addition to that provided for in the by-laws.

                                      II-1


         We maintain an insurance  policy  pursuant to which our  directors  and
officers are insured,  within the limits and subject to the  limitations  of the
policy,  against  certain  expenses  in  connection  with the defense of certain
claims,  actions,  suits or proceedings,  and certain liabilities which might be
imposed as a result of such claims,  actions, suits or proceedings,  that may be
brought  against  them by reason  of their  being or having  been  directors  or
officers.

         We generally  enter into  agreements  with our  executive  officers and
directors to indemnify them to the fullest extent  permitted  under the Delaware
General Corporation Law.

Item 16.  Exhibits.



      Exhibit
       Number                      Description of Exhibit
       ------                       ----------------------
                
        4.1           Form of Certificate for Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (incorporated by reference to
                      Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A filed
                      with the Commission on April 18, 2003).
        5.1           Opinion of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP
       23.1           Consent of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP (included in its opinion filed as
                      Exhibit 5.1)
       23.2           Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP
       24.1*          Power of Attorney (See p. II-4)

* Previously filed.

Item 17.  Undertakings.

     a.  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

         1. To file,  during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
            a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

            i. To include any  prospectus  required  by Section  10(a)(3) of the
               Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act");

           ii. To reflect in the  prospectus  any facts or events  arising after
               the effective  date of this  Registration  Statement (or the most
               recent post-effective  amendment thereof) which,  individually or
               in  the  aggregate,   represent  a  fundamental   change  in  the
               information   set   forth   in   this   Registration   Statement.
               Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume
               of  securities  offered (if the total dollar value of  securities
               offered  would not  exceed  that  which was  registered)  and any
               deviation  from  the low or  high  end of the  estimated  maximum
               offering  range may be reflected in the form of prospectus  filed
               with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate,
               the  changes  in  volume  and price  represent  no more than a 20
               percent change in the maximum aggregate  offering price set forth
               in the  "Calculation of Registration  Fee" table in the effective
               registration statement; and

                                      II-2


          iii. To include any material information with respect to the plan of
               distribution  not  previously   disclosed  in  this  Registration
               Statement  or any  material  change to such  information  in this
               Registration Statement;

               provided,  however,  that paragraphs  (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do
               not apply if the registration  statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8
               or Form F-3,  and the  information  required  to be included in a
               post-effective  amendment  by those  paragraphs  is  contained in
               periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the
               registrant  pursuant  to  Section  13 or 15(d) of the  Securities
               Exchange Act of 1934,  as amended (the  "Exchange  Act") that are
               incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

         2. That,  for the  purpose  of  determining  any  liability  under  the
            Securities Act, each such  post-effective  amendment shall be deemed
            to  be a new  registration  statement  relating  to  the  securities
            offered  therein,  and the offering of such  securities at that time
            shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         3. To remove from  registration by means of a post-effective  amendment
            any of the securities  being  registered  which remain unsold at the
            termination of the offering.

     b.  The  undersigned  registrant  hereby  undertakes  that, for purposes of
         determining  any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
         registrant's  annual  report  pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
         Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
         plan's  annual  report  pursuant to Section  15(d) of the Exchange Act)
         that is incorporated by reference in this Registration  Statement shall
         be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities
         offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall
         be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     c.  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
         Act may be permitted to directors,  executive  officers and controlling
         persons of the  registrant  pursuant to the  foregoing  provisions,  or
         otherwise,  the  registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the
         Commission such  indemnification  is against public policy as expressed
         in the Securities Act and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the event
         that a claim for  indemnification  against such liabilities (other than
         the  payment  by the  registrant  of  expenses  incurred  or  paid by a
         director,  officer  or  controlling  person  of the  registrant  in the
         successful  defense of any action,  suit or  proceeding) is asserted by
         such  director,  officer or controlling  person in connection  with the
         securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion
         of its counsel the matter has been  settled by  controlling  precedent,
         submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
         indemnification  by it is against  public  policy as  expressed  in the
         Securities Act and will be governed by the final  adjudication  of such
         issue.

                                      II-3




                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the  requirements  for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this  Amendment
No. 1 to Registration  Statement to be signed on its behalf by the  undersigned,
thereunto duly  authorized,  in the City of Monrovia,  State of  California,  on
January 9, 2004.

                             STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY


                             By:    /s/ David Bailey
                                    --------------------------------------------
                                    David Bailey
                                    President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman
                                    and Director (Principal Executive Officer)


                                      II-4




         Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities Act, this  Registration
Statement has been signed below by the following  persons in the  capacities and
on the dates indicated.



                   Signature                                   Title                              Date
                   ---------                                   -----                              ----
                                                                                     
/s/ David Bailey                                  President, Chief Executive Officer,      January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
David Bailey                                      Chairman and Director (Principal
                                                  Executive Officer)

/s/ John Bily                                     Chief Financial Officer and Chief        January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
John Bily                                         Accounting Officer (Principal
                                                  Financial and Accounting Officer)
/s/ Donald Duffy*                                 Director                                 January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
Donald Duffy


/s/ Dr. Volker D. Anhaeusser*                     Director                                 January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
Dr. Volker D. Anhaeusser


/s/ John R. Gilbert*                              Director                                 January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
John R. Gilbert


/s/ David Morrison*                               Director                                 January 9, 2004
--------------------------------------------
David Morrison


*By:  /s/ John Bily
      ----------------
      John Bily
      Attorney-in-Fact
      January 9, 2004

                                      II-5




                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

      Exhibit
       Number                                             Description of Exhibit
       ------                                             ----------------------
                
        4.1           Form of Certificate for Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (incorporated by reference to
                      Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A filed
                      with the Commission on April 18, 2003).

        5.1           Opinion of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP

       23.1           Consent of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP (included in its opinion filed as
                      Exhibit 5.1)

       23.2           Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP

       24.1*          Power of Attorney (See p. II-4)


* Previously filed.





                                      II-6