Glaucoma: a “revolutionary” implant to treat without surgery

World Glaucoma Week, which opens this Monday, will be an opportunity for many specialists to review the main medical advances in the face of this eye disease, the second cause of blindness in developed countries, after macular degeneration. age related.
In Switzerland, the start-up Rheon Medical, resulting from the work of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), has just presented the first clinical results of its revolutionary implant, called eyeWatch.

The principle is simple: it is a question of draining the aqueous humor present in too great quantity between the cornea and the iris, thanks to an implant. In a healthy human eye, this liquid, which is continuously produced, is naturally evacuated through a tissue of fibres, the trabecular meshwork, which acts as a filter. In glaucoma, however, the resistance of the trabecular meshwork becomes stronger, slowing the flow of fluid. This results in increased pressure in the eye which, if mismanaged, can lead to destruction of the optic nerve.

A magnetic valve

The eyeWatch device can be compared to a micro-tap. Its size, half a millimeter thick, does not allow placing electronics there. The researchers therefore developed a magnetic disc system that rotates around an eccentric axis in order to open the flexible tube and evacuate the liquid. It can be activated by an external magnet that just needs to be placed near the eye without touching it.

CE marking

The first patient was implanted in September 2015 at the Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne. And four patients now benefit from the device. According to Rheon Medical, they are “doing wonderfully”. Good news that will allow doctors to continue the trial, with the aim of treating 30 patients. The data collected will then be presented to the health authorities, in order to obtain the CE marking of the implant, an essential step for its marketing.