Avisi Technologies

Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and leads to vision loss that cannot be cured or reversed. By 2020, OAG will affect 80 million people globally. In OAG patients, excess fluid builds up inside the eye, putting pressure on and permanently damaging the optic nerve.   VisiPlate is a nanoscale drainage implant that creates a new outflow pathway for aqueous humor in the eye. Excess fluid flows through VisiPlate and is slowly absorbed into surrounding tissue over time, alleviating pressure on the optic nerve. VisiPlate is 1000x thinner than other tube shunts like the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve and the Baerveldt Implant, thus decreasing bleb profile and increasing patient comfort. VisiPlate also mitigates risk of post-operative double vision, tissue erosion, and bleb failure from excess fibrosis around tube shunts. Compared to minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) such as the XEN Gel Stent and iStent, VisiPlate aims to lower pressure more effectively over time and reduce the need for procedures such as needling.  The nanotechnology underlying VisiPlate is a shape-recovering, plate metamaterial developed at the University of Pennsylvania. At 100 nanometers, this technology is 1% the thickness of a contact lens. VisiPlate’s unique properties enable it to disrupt late-stage glaucoma treatment. VisiPlate is a 510(k) medical device.