UC³ treatment

Glaucoma Treatments

The treatments for glaucoma, whether they are preformed with medicinal products or with surgery, all have the same purpose: to reduce intraocular pressure.
 
The rise in intraocular pressure is the main risk factor for developing glaucoma. Intraocular pressure is related to the fluid which fills the anterior segment of the eye: the aqueous humour. This liquid is produced and removed permanently. In some patients because of malformations or severe inflammation, or simply with age, this fluid is not removed satisfactorily. Imbalance develops  and therefore the IOP increases.
 
There are 2 possible strategies to reduce IOP :

• either restore sufficient outflow of the fluid
• or reduce the production of fluid.

UC³ treatment

Ultrasound

Circular
Cyclo
Coagulation

UC³ treatment uses the second strategy.  This is already considered to be effective for medical treatment with eye drops containing active substances such as Timolol, a molecule which inhibits the production of aqueous humour.

Other types of treatment are also available, in this case interventional such as diode laser which uses the same principle of reducing the production of aqueous humour.
 
Unlike medical treatment, which has a temporary effect as the eye drops, needs to be administered at least daily, interventional treatments have a far longer lasting effect.
 
The principle of laser diode treatment also called cyclodestruction, is to produce multiple lesions in the organ that produces aqueous humour, the ciliary bodies.  This is an effective technique but is still only used marginally because of its many disadvantages (inconsistent and unpredictable results, need for multiple treatments, severe inflammation, transient peak of increased pressure, deterioration in visual acuity).
 
UC³ treatment is based on the same strategy although offers a solution to all the disadvantages of diode laser.  The results obtained with the UC³ method using the EyeTechCare EYEOP1 system, provide a reproducible effect in a single treatment with no noticeable inflammation and no transient increase in pressure.  The result of UC³ treatment is a significant reduction in functional ciliary body tissue which reduces the amount of liquid produced and therefore reduces Intra Ocular Pressure.
 
The UC³ treatment method is also very simple and accurate, being performed in a single procedure, lasting only one minute.

The new UC³ treatment method is currently undergoing clinical studies in human beings.  The system should receive the CE mark at the end of 2010.
 
Because of its novel nature and lack of experience with this new treatment method, UC³ treatment will be intended initially for patients suffering from refractory glaucoma.  A clinical study is ongoing (see clinical study).  Extension of the indications will be considered once the initial clinical data from a large number of cases and with sufficient experience are available and published by renowned specialists in specialist journals.

 
Principle of UC³ treatment

The major new feature of UC³ treatment is the fact that it is circular and extremely accurate.  The practitioner can administer treatment to whole periphery of the globe of the eye in a single procedure, therefore avoiding the many applications which are usually needed.
 
In addition, Therapeutic Ultrasounds delivered by the EYEOP1 system can produce partial coagulation of the ciliary body by perfectly controlling the process, positioning the device simply, accurately and reproducibly.  This new type of treatment removes the uncertainties from repeated manual procedures and also benefits from the properties of HIFU which produce non-destructive, highly focussed, reproducible coagulation which preserves tissue barriers and therefore guarantees no post treatment inflammation.
 
The accuracy of the procedure is ensured by a ring shaped device which can treat the circumference of the eye and also by a positioning cone applied to the globe of the eye which provides excellent quality centring and above all, suction fixation which maintains the centring throughout the treatment time.
 
UC3 treatment only takes 1 minute.

Discover the EYEOP1 system intended for HIFU treatment of refractory glaucoma