Capsulorhexis Device

• Category: Medical Devices
• Investment Status: Incubator
• Medical Field: Ophthalmology
• Patent Status: PCT
• Medical Center: Soroka

• Inventors: Professor Tova Lifshitz, Dr. Nadav Belfair, Eli Besharim
  

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Removal of the affected lens and its replacement with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is the current preferred treatment. Surgical treatment involves capsulorhexis – creating an opening in the membrane that covers the anterior and posterior surfaces of the lens to form the lens capsule of desired diameter and shape and centered on the optical axis. Tears or defects on the edge of the opening weaken the lens capsule, increasing the possibility of intra- and post-operative complications. Currently, the opening is made mechanically, using a hand-held bent needle or forceps, which requires great skill on the part of the surgeon. An alternative technique uses a femtosecond laser device, which creates a near perfect, round opening in the anterior capsule but entails the use of very costly equipment.

The capsulorhexis device is a single-use, mechanical, hand-held device that creates the delicate continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) required for a successful outcome in cataract surgery. The device is inserted through a small incision in the cornea and placed in the proper position where it automatically creates an opening of the pre-determined size.

The device automatically and repeatedly produces a clean-edged incision of the desired size in the correct position. It reduces the incidence of intraoperative tears to the capsular bag and a potential list of complications, including posterior extension of the tear, which may, in turn, complicate the procedure and its final results. The device is a low-cost disposable that increases the accuracy of the procedure.