Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Oct. 03, 2014	Oct. 26, 2014
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 03, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	STAAR SURGICAL CO
Trading Symbol	STAA
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		38,653,734
Entity Central Index Key	0000718937
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-02
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer