Ultrasound cycloplasty for refractory glaucoma treatment: The EyeTechCare Experience

In the 1980s, HIFU was successfully tested for treating refractory glaucoma (Lizzi et al.). A more recent device from EyeTechCare, made of six cylindrical transducers operating at 21MHz, can perform a conformal, partial, and fast thermal ablation of the ciliary bodies, a technique known as ultrasound cycloplasty (UCP). For the last 10 years, we investigated the safety and efficacy of UCP for reducing the production of aqueous humor and intraocular pressure (IOP). The primary outcomes that were validated (more than 55%) were therapeutic success (IOP reduction from baseline ≥20% and IOP >5 mm Hg without other surgical procedures) and vision-threatening complications. Secondary outcomes included mean IOP change from baseline at each follow-up visit, medication use, complications, and subsequent UCP and/or other postsurgical interventions. This technique was associated with a low complication rate and no cases of phthisis. In this presentation, we also highlight the remaining challenges in increasing the efficacy and reliability of UCP and its future developments. [Disclosure: Dietrich Wolf is CEO at EyeTechCare.]