What ClearSight Therapeutics does

ClearSight Therapeutics is a Dallas, Texas-based pharmaceutical company founded in 2023 that develops over-the-counter (OTC) ophthalmic products targeting dry eye disease, contact lens discomfort, redness and irritation, and viral conjunctivitis (pink eye). The company is structured around its proprietary CS-001 Ocular Surface Lubrication System, a modular formulation platform built on a structured excipient system designed to optimize ocular surface lubrication, surface wetting, and tear film moisture retention while remaining within FDA OTC ophthalmic monograph parameters. From CS-001 the company is developing four SKUs: Artificial Tears+ (dry eye relief), Contact Lens Rewetting Drops, Redness & Irritation Relief Drops, and a novel crab shell-derived antimicrobial Pink Eye Treatment that leverages FDA GRAS designation and is reported to reduce recovery time from 7-10 days to approximately one day.

The commercial model is asset-light and partnership-driven. ClearSight targets distribution through 4,000 ophthalmologist/optometrist accounts for Artificial Tears+, 15,000+ optometrist contact lens fitter accounts for CL Rewetting Drops, and 15,000+ retail pharmacy stores for Redness Relief Drops. In February 2026 the company signed a Letter of Intent with Covalent Medical for a five-year, $60 million multi-channel partnership covering physician-dispensed and national retail channels for all three OTC products plus the pink eye portfolio, with a targeted Q1 2027 launch. A separate November 2025 LOI with Cartwheel licenses the crab shell-derived pink eye treatment for 2027 portfolio expansion into first-aid consumer channels.

The company is pre-revenue, has 1-10 employees, and to date has disclosed only a $30,000 seed investment from Health Wildcatters (September 2024). Leadership includes co-founder and CEO Patrick Smale (MBA, 20+ years eye care, $3B cumulative sales, SIGHT IPO exit in 2021), co-founder and Clinical Development Lead Suchismita Acharya (PhD, 20+ years drug discovery; Novartis, AyuVis), and Chief Scientific Officer Nuria Jimenez (PhD, 22 ophthalmic products launched). The Scientific Advisory Board and Dallas/Fort Worth accelerator affiliations (Health Wildcatters, MassChallenge, Capital Factory) supplement a small founding team with domain expertise and ecosystem access.

Name

ClearSight Therapeutics

Legal name

ClearSight Therapeutics

Website

https://clearsighttx.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ClearSight Therapeutics is a Dallas-based, pre-commercial pharmaceutical company founded in 2023 that develops over-the-counter ophthalmic products (dry eye, rewetting, redness relief, pink eye) built on its proprietary CS-001 Ocular Surface Lubrication System platform, targeting distribution through eye care professionals and mass retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Eye, Ear & Nasal Care (HLAIADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eye, Ear & Nasal Care OTC (Eye Drops, Ear Drops/Wax Removal, Saline Sprays) (CRADAMAG), Ocular Drug Delivery Devices (Eye Droppers/Inserts) (HLAHAIAL)

Keywords

• OTC ophthalmic products
• Ocular surface lubrication
• Dry eye treatment
• Contact lens rewetting
• Pink eye treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. OTC Eye Care Product Sales: Revenue from sale of OTC ophthalmic products including dry eye treatments, contact lens rewetting drops, and redness relief drops distributed through eye care practices and retail channels.
2. Licensing Royalties: Five-year $60 million multi-channel partnership with Covalent Medical for commercialization of OTC eye care products through physician-dispensed and national retail channels.
3. Technology Licensing: Licensing revenue from pink eye treatment technology to partners such as Cartwheel for portfolio expansion.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ClearSight Therapeutics develops a portfolio of over-the-counter (OTC) ophthalmic products built on its proprietary CS-001 Ocular Surface Lubrication System platform. The product line includes Artificial Tears+ for dry eye relief, Contact Lens Rewetting Drops, Redness & Irritation Relief Drops, and a novel crab shell-derived Pink Eye Treatment leveraging FDA GRAS designation. Products are designed to align with FDA OTC ophthalmic monograph requirements and target distribution through eye care practices and retail pharmacy channels.

Product overview

ClearSight Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of over-the-counter (OTC) eye care products based on its proprietary CS-001 Ocular Surface Lubrication System platform. The platform is a modular lubrication technology supporting multiple OTC eye care categories using a single manufacturing process. The product portfolio includes: (1) Artificial Tears+ for dry eye relief targeting eye care practices with 4,000+ OPH/OD accounts; (2) Contact Lens Rewetting Drops for contact lens comfort with 15,000+ OD accounts; (3) Redness & Irritation Relief Drops distributed through 15,000+ retail pharmacy stores; and (4) a novel Pink Eye Treatment derived from crab shells leveraging FDA GRAS designation for accelerated market entry. All products align with FDA OTC ophthalmic monograph requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CS-001 Ocular Surface Lubrication System
• Artificial Tears+ (AT+) Over-the-counter eye drop product for dry eye relief, part of the CS-001 platform. Sold through eye care practices (OPH/OD) with a B2B strategy targeting 4,000+ ophthalmology/optometry accounts. Designed to provide temporary relief of burning, irritation, and dryness.
• Contact Lens Rewetting Drops (CLRD) Over-the-counter rewetting drops for contact lens comfort, part of the CS-001 platform with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal efficacy. Distributed through eye care practices with a target of 15,000+ OD contact lens fitter accounts. Supports active lens cleaning and infection prevention.
• Redness & Irritation Relief Drops (RRD) Over-the-counter eye drops for redness and irritation relief, part of the CS-001 platform. Distributed through retail pharmacy channels with a target reach of 15,000+ store locations.
• Pink Eye Treatment (Crab Shell-Derived) Novel over-the-counter pink eye treatment derived from crab shells with antimicrobial properties addressing viral conjunctivitis (which causes 80% of pink eye cases). Leverages FDA GRAS designation to accelerate time-to-market. Can reportedly reduce recovery time from 7–10 days to one day. Licensed to Cartwheel for 2027 portfolio expansion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pink eye recovery time reduced from 7-10 days to one day
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Covalent MedicalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 February 2026Five-year $60 million multi-channel partnership to commercialize ClearSight's OTC eye care products including Artificial Tears+, Contact Lens Rewetting Drops, and Pink Eye portfolio. Distribution through physician-dispensed and national retail channels. Targeted launch date Q1 2027.
• CartwheelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 November 2025Letter of Intent to license ClearSight's over-the-counter pink eye treatment derived from crab shells for 2027 portfolio expansion. Cartwheel is a mission-driven company providing innovative first aid solutions for families. Collaboration to finalize licensing terms and prepare for regulatory and go-to-market planning.
• Health WildcattersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth innovation hub based in Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Portfolio has grown to 118 startups who have raised over $350 million. Provides seed investment, in-kind perks, and mentor network spanning healthcare industry.
• MassChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit connecting startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses. Unique equity-free model accelerates high-impact startups with bold, disruptive ideas.
• Capital FactoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntrepreneur hub for Texas with presence in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Washington DC. According to Pitchbook, most active investor in Texas since 2010.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alcon: Global eye care leader with broad OTC ophthalmic portfolios (artificial tears, rewetting drops, redness relievers). Alcon is a direct competitor to ClearSight's CS-001 platform products and is the prior employer of ClearSight CEO Patrick Smale.
• Bausch + Lomb: Major OTC ophthalmic products company with artificial tears (Soothe, Advanced Eye Relief), redness relievers, and contact lens rewetting drops. Direct peer given overlapping product categories, target channels, and patient indications.
• Allergan (AbbVie): Sells the Refresh Tears line of artificial tears and other OTC ocular surface products. Directly comparable as a leader in dry eye OTC relief, the same indication addressed by ClearSight's Artificial Tears+ product.
• Johnson & Johnson Vision: Markets contact lens rewetting drops alongside the ACUVUE contact lens franchise. Direct peer to ClearSight's Contact Lens Rewetting Drops, particularly across the 15,000+ optometrist contact lens fitter accounts ClearSight is targeting.
• Prestige Consumer Healthcare (Clear Eyes): Markets the Clear Eyes brand of OTC redness reliever and lubricant eye drops in mass retail. Direct competitor in the retail pharmacy channel where ClearSight plans to distribute Redness & Irritation Relief Drops across 15,000+ stores.
• Akorn (TheraTears): Sells TheraTears dry eye lubricants and other OTC ophthalmic products. Direct peer in artificial tears and dry eye relief, with established optometry and retail distribution channels similar to ClearSight's target footprint.
• Rohto Pharmaceutical: Global OTC eye drop company with strong redness reliever and cooling lubricant product lines in the US market. Directly comparable in the redness relief and artificial tears categories ClearSight is entering.
• Similasan: OTC eye care brand focused on homeopathic and natural active ingredients, including pink eye and dry eye products. Comparable in addressing the same self-care eye conditions ClearSight targets, particularly viral conjunctivitis where both have positioned differentiated OTC offerings.

Emerging players

• OCuSOFT: Specialty eye care company selling lid hygiene, dry eye, and ocular surface products primarily through eye care professionals. Comparable to ClearSight in targeting the OPH/OD channel for differentiated dry eye and ocular surface offerings.

Others

• AyuVis Research: Early-stage ophthalmic drug discovery company co-led by ClearSight cofounder Suchismita Acharya (current CEO) and partnered with J&J. Adjacent/related peer in ophthalmic R&D with overlapping scientific leadership and Glaucoma, AMD, and Conjunctivitis programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ClearSight Therapeutics