Dr. Alexander M. Eaton, director of Retina Health Center, will present on the development of a new device designed to improve the safety and comfort of patients during intravitreal injections at the 12th Annual Euretina Congress in Milan. Retina Health Center recently began clinical trials and Eaton will present the first human data on the safety and comfort of the device during the conference on Friday, Sept. 7 in the Blue Hall, North Wing, Level 1 at approximately 17:34-17:42.
The number of intravitreal injections (IVIs) has increased considerably over the last few years and is expected to continue to increase in the foreseeable future. The most serious complication of IVIs is endophthalmitis, with incidences of infection rates being reported between 0.02 percent and 0.87 percent. While the incidence of endophthalmitis following IVIs is low, the outcome tends to be poor.
The device incorporates a small gauge needle covered by a thin protective sleeve designed to protect the needle from contamination risks before and during the injection such as aerosolized saliva droplets from speech or breathing, as well as from the eyelashes or other external contaminants.
The goal of the clinical study at Retina Health Center clinical trials is to evaluate if the device is faster and/or more comfortable than existing techniques that use a lid speculum. As a result of the protection afforded by the sleeve, the study is comparing injections using the device to without a lid speculum to a standard injection with a lid speculum. In vitro work suggests this new device may help to reduce the risk of infection from saliva and other environmental contaminants, while allowing physicians to communicate freely with patients during IVI without the need for a mask.
The device was developed by Eaton in collaboration with Dr. Hussein Wafapoor of Retina Health Center, Dr. Robert Avery of California Retina Consultants, and former Alcon employees Dave Booth and Dyson Hickingbotham.
This is the first of a number of products being developed by I-Tech JV Development Company which address issues with intravitreal injections to reach clinical trial. By combining a team of retinal thought leaders and experienced device designers, the I-Tech JV Development Company is able to rapidly assess and develop products to meet evolving retina needs.
For more information on the latest studies or to make an appointment, call 239-337-3337 in Fort Myers or 239-793-5200 in Naples.
