Shorts Have Dim View of Sunrise Technologies' Success

When investors visited Sunrise Technologies International (SNRS Quote) last week, they had one thing on their minds -- whether the company's surgical laser for farsightedness produced long-lasting results. Sunrise told them they had nothing to worry about.

Russ Trenary, the Fremont, Calif., company's president and chief executive, walked to a white board and discussed data on a graph that showed patients only had a brief period of regression but then stabilized for the long term, according to three people who were present.

The investors were heartened, especially with a pivotal Food and Drug Administration panel meeting on the technology coming up July 22. The graph looked even better than data from entrenched competitors like Visx (VISX Quote) and Summit Technology (BEAM Quote). ...