This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Hi, I’m Don Schwartz, MD. I’m an ophthalmologist and I’m here at the American Glaucoma Society 2026 in Rancho Mirage, California. I’d like to talk to you about our medical device with low-power ultrasound called Tulip (EyeSonix). It’s to treat open-angle glaucoma. It’s gradually been developed over the years. It’s a topically applied ultrasound over the trabecular meshwork area to help with outflow.
We’ve had some recent clinical trials in India, which will be presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting coming up [May 3-7, 2026], showing the safety and efficacy. Particularly interesting is the array of biochemistry that we found that’s been present after treatment. We had some patients where they had the Tulip treatment the day before their cataract surgery. And at the time of cataract surgery, we drew some aqueous tear film and blood plasma and looked at an array of biochemicals that were triggered. We found an array that was different from selective laser trabeculoplasty. I think this array of biochemistry shows that it has some potential for neuromodulation, if not neuroprotection. The other study that we did showed safety and efficacy.
It’s a comfortable procedure. The procedure itself takes about 8.5 to 9 minutes. There’s an application of the device over the trabecular meshwork area. It’s external and gently applied to the outside of the eye. It requires a topical anesthetic just for comfort, but the patient feels essentially nothing other than pressure. There’s also a gel that allows contact for the ultrasound to the eye. The procedure, as I say, is around 9 minutes; wash the gel out, and the patient is able to perform any function that they wish. It doesn't affect visual acuity, and there’s a decrease in pressure that we found in a number of clinical trials, which is quite substantial—meeting the gold standard of 20% or more in 80% of patients treated. We have slightly better than even that effect.
Look for an article that will explain the Tulip procedure in the May issue of Glaucoma Physician. GP