Ciliatech announced today that it has raised €3.5M (about US$4 million) to advance the company's glaucoma implant, CID (Cilio-scleral Inter-positioning Device).
I'd like to point our group to some information about why that is of potential interest to those of us who may need glaucoma surgery in the future.
The company says,
The concept underpinning CID allows glaucoma patients to avoid a whole host of medical complications, of which the most serious are the filtration bleb and endothelial cell loss.
Postoperative patient care is vastly simplified, substantially improving patient quality of life.
In contrast to other treatments, a CID is uniquely positioned between only two areas of the eye – between the ciliary body and the sclera. This offers the unparalleled advantage of unlocking the natural uveoscleral outflow pathway while leaving the anterior chamber fully intact.
It enhances the eye’s natural capacity to drain the ocular aqueous humor from the anterior chamber into physiological channels.
The term uveoscleral outflow refers to the drainage of ocular aqueous humor from the anterior chamber through pathways other than the trabecular meshwork. It is sometimes called the "unconventional pathway."
Previously, outflow of aqueous humor through the uveoscleral outflow pathway was considered a passive and minor route. That understanding has changed with more modern research. Uveoscleral outflow is an important component of aqueous humor dynamics that contributes to the maintenance of IOP. In humans, it is reported that it can contribute up to 60% of the aqueous outflow, although (as far as I know) the figure is both variable and poorly quantified. Additional research is needed to understand exactly how much the uveoscleral outflow pathway contributes, but we know it is an important part of maintaining healthy IOP levels. Several glaucoma medications work by enhancing outflow via the uveoscleral outflow pathway.
This video makes it easier to understand how this new CID works;