Meiboleyes™ – A wearable device for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction
Dry eye disease affects up to half of the global population. It is mostly due to our ageing population, our environment, systemic disease, medication, and screen use. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the leading cause of the disease.
A stable tear film is critical to maintaining the comfort of our eyes and clear vision. MGD affects the oils in the meibomian glands, which are required for healthy tear function. In MGD, the oils change consistency and cause obstruction, leading to symptoms of dryness, irritation, and vision problems. These symptoms have a significant impact on our daily activities, quality of life and work productivity.
The most common treatments for early MGD include a combination of artificial lubricant eye drops and eyelid warming and massage.
Although artificial lubricant eye drops provide symptomatic relief, they rarely treat the underlying problem. Eyelid warming and massage helps to melt the oils, and massage helps remove the obstruction to allow the oils to be secreted onto the tear film.
While the application of warm compresses and heat eye masks are a convenient and economical solution, they do not provide the sustained heat required for the recommended minimum application time, nor do they contain a massage component. Their application often varies sporadically – i.e. the amount of heat and the frequency makes it difficult for the clinician to gauge treatment compliance and efficacy.
Sophisticated devices delivering sustained heat and massage are currently available but require treatment in-office. The cost of treatment prohibits access for the majority of people.
Hence, the gap exists in the MGD market for a treatment that:
- Delivers sustained heat for the recommended time period,
- Delivers massage to move the obstruction,
- Is affordable to increase accessibility to everyone and
- Can be used in the comfort of home and thus reduce health care visits.
Meiboleyes™ is nthalmic’s proprietary device for the treatment of MGD, which aims to satisfy the above and close the gap in the market.
nthalmic has joined forces with renowned experts in the field of dry eyes and smart wearables to advance its Meiboleyes™ device. Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton from UNSW Sydney has extensive expertise in translational research in ocular surface. She has published 270+ peer-reviewed publications and acted as committee lead in several international consensus workshops on dry eye disease including the pivotal report on the classification, diagnosis and treatment of MGD. She leads the clinical trials group (the Eye Research Group) at UNSW Sydney, which has a strong track record of successful recruitment and completion of trials in dry eye and MGD, with access to state of the art clinical and diagnostic equipment.
The Functional Materials and Microsystems research group from RMIT University are the leaders in the field of wearable electronic sensors. Professors Madhu Bhaskaran and Sharath Sriram jointly lead the team that works with industry and end-users to translate discoveries into devices, with an emphasis on improving health outcomes for vulnerable communities. The team at RMIT has access to advanced fabrication and manufacturing facilities for nanoelectronics, stretchable devices, wireless modules, and biosensors.
nthalmic is accepting expressions of interest applications to advance the Meiboleyes™ device from design to prototyping and eventually to clinical trials for safety and efficacy. For more information, please contact us.
