EyeOn Medical, founded by ophthalmologists Dr. Arie Marcovich and Dr. Daphna Ofer, and managed by CEO Nahum Ferera, has raised $2 million. The company has developed a special contact lens designed to treat corneal edema. The company emerged from the Van Leer incubator.
This disease currently requires a transplant, for which there are not enough corneas available. For those do no not require a transplant, the usual solution is washing with salt water and waiting until the patient's condition inevitable deteriorates to the point that a transplant is needed. Edema can result from an unsuccessful cataract operation, genetic diseases, or from the aging process. It results in cloudy vision and severe pain.
EyeYon has developed a contact lens constructed so that it extracts fluid from the cornea, thereby relieving the edema. The lens' unique structure creates an imbalance in the concentration of ions on the side of the lens, with a higher concentration on the lens than on the cornea itself. This creates a waterfall of pressure that draws out the fluids. The lens also improves vision by smoothing the cornea and preventing the edema from making bending in the cornea.
Before the current round, the company raised $3 million from the Van Leer incubator and Sagam Group, which has a factory at which EyeYon's lenses are produced.
The company has conducted a trial with 30 patients. "The patients who used the lens experienced improvement in their edema and their sight wining 24 hours," Ferara said.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 5, 2015
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