EyeTechCare trials ultrasound glaucoma procedure

French company EyeTechCare is performing clinical trials at Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon on a new medical technology called EyeOP1 that directs finely focused ultrasound beams into the ciliary bodies of a patient’s eye through miniaturised transducers in a ring-shape probe. The beams pass through eye tissue without disruption and reach the target area through the focal point, which has a volume of less than 0.3mm³.

According to the company, the procedure can be administered on an outpatient basis under local anaesthesia and it takes around one minute. A typical procedure will require the patient to lie down close to the EyeOP1 command module and the disposable therapy device will be placed on the globe of the eyeball.

The command module enables the ophthalmologist to set parameters for the procedure and to control it throughout the treatment period. A generator delivers power to the piezoelectric transducers, while the pressure reduction system applies suction and ensures the fixation of the therapy device to the eyeball, guaranteeing that it remains centred throughout the entire procedure.