# Shawn O'Neil

> Shawn O'Neil is the CEO of ViaLase, a clinical-stage medtech company building FLIGHT, an incision-free femtosecond laser procedure for glaucoma. He spent more than two decades at Alcon rising to head of sales and marketing for surgical glaucoma, then ran commercial at Sight Sciences before joining ViaLase as Chief Commercial Officer and stepping up to CEO in July 2025. His career has been a running tour of the products that reshaped eye surgery: EX-PRESS, LenSx, CyPass, OMNI, TearCare, and now a laser that treats glaucoma without ever touching the eye with a blade.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at ViaLase, Inc.
- **Organizations:** ViaLase, Inc., Sight Sciences, Alcon, Novartis
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree in Economics, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Led commercial launches of the EX-PRESS Glaucoma Filtration Device, LenSx Laser System, CyPass Micro-Stent, OMNI Surgical System, TearCare System, and the ViaLase femtosecond laser, Rose to head of sales and marketing for surgical glaucoma during more than two decades at Alcon, Built and led commercial organization at Sight Sciences

## Career timeline

- **1990s-2010s** — Spent more than 20 years (about 22) at Alcon in sales and marketing roles, rising to head of sales and marketing for surgical glaucoma
- **2010s** — Joined Sight Sciences in Menlo Park as Chief Commercial Officer to lead its commercial push (OMNI Surgical System, TearCare)
- **2022** — Appointed Chief Commercial Officer of ViaLase alongside executive team expansion
- **2025-07** — Promoted to Chief Executive Officer of ViaLase as founder Tibor Juhasz moved to President and CTO
- **2025-12** — ViaLase announced first patient treated in its U.S. IDE clinical trial for femtosecond laser trabeculotomy

## Achievements

- Led commercial launches of the EX-PRESS Glaucoma Filtration Device, LenSx Laser System, CyPass Micro-Stent, OMNI Surgical System, TearCare System, and the ViaLase femtosecond laser
- Rose to head of sales and marketing for surgical glaucoma during more than two decades at Alcon
- Built and led commercial organization at Sight Sciences
- Appointed CEO of ViaLase in July 2025 to lead commercialization of the FLIGHT procedure
- Helped guide ViaLase to CE mark approval in Europe (2024) and the start of a U.S. IDE clinical trial

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Named CEO of ViaLase as part of a leadership transition to support commercial growth
- **2025-09** — ViaLase presented FLIGHT at ESCRS 2025 as the first noninvasive femtosecond glaucoma procedure
- **2025-12** — ViaLase announced the first patient treated in its U.S. IDE clinical trial for femtosecond laser trabeculotomy

## Links

- Website: https://vialase.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-o-neil-4362b6a7
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQYCeqhfCvY

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shawn-o-neil
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-05