CILIATECH develops INTERCIL, a new hydrophilic acrylic implant, permanently implanted in the supraciliary space, for the treatment of glaucoma. Devices utilizing the supraciliary space can provide a long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) decrease, but long-term success depends on correct surgical placement. Supraciliary devices may provide greater effectiveness than those which can be obtained with the plethora of angle-based minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), but supraciliary innovation is as successful as it is controversial.
Phacoemulsification and filtering surgery remain effective procedures for primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG), but no device innovation to treat this subtype has occurred in the last century. There remains an unmet need in the surgical treatment algorithm for patients whom, in a population where disease burden extends as life expectancies get longer, need long term glaucoma control before they ultimately progress to filtering surgery. The key outcomes for INTERCIL are to provide strong IOP control for patients with POAG and PACG using an ab-externo, cilioscleral interposition surgical approach. This approach may be a good fit for patients who require another procedure after MIGS, but wish to mitigate the risk invasive filtering surgery.