CO2 Laser for Glaucoma

[Mike Cohen]

CARBON DIOXIDE LASER DEVICE INTRODUCED FOR TREATING GLAUCOMA. IOPtima, an Israeli medical technology company, has announced the development of a device that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) laser technology to enable eye surgeons to easily operate on the eyes of a glaucoma patient. The company's CEO, Joshua Degani, says that the device is the first laser treatment aimed at treating physical abnormalities of the eye rather than for vision correction. The treatment was devised by Prof. Ehud Assia, professor at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and director of the Ophthalmology Department at the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. The CO2 laser replaces manual surgical treatment; the device is programmed to switch off the moment before the eye membrane is perforated, at the point where intraocular liquid is still able to pass through the membrane but the membrane is thick enough to keep the eye protected. Successful preclinical trials have been conducted on 23 human patients in Israel; the company anticipates additional human clinical trials in the United States, Canada and Europe. IOPtima believes that the treatment will also be attractive to healthcare providers because it may eliminate the possibility of treatment failure due to low patient compliance, and that it may create opportunities for more widespread glaucoma treatment in developing countries, where long-term, costly treatment with eyedrops is not possible.