SOLX creates GMS certification program

Boston-SOLX, the glaucoma division of OccuLogix Inc., has begun an international program to train and certify ophthalmologists in Europe and the Middle East in surgical implantation procedures using the company’s Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS) products to treat patients with glaucoma.

The company held an educational symposium before the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in Las Vegas and is offering additional didactic training sessions at various locations around the world (see http://www.solx.com for more information). Surgical certification is conducted at individual surgery practices.

SOLX launched the GMS line at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting in London in September. FDA clinical studies are under way at 10 centers worldwide.

GMS products are 24-karat gold, biocompatible, ultra-thin implants approximately half the thickness of a human hair. Unlike tubular drainage devices, GMS devices are flat plates containing numerous micro-tubular channels that create a bridge between the anterior chamber and suprachoroidal space. They use the eye’s natural pressure differential to maximize uveoscleral outflow and reduce IOP without a bleb. The technology is implanted through one 4-mm microincision and rests permanently in the suprachoroidal space.

“We believe that SOLX GMS products offer a significant advancement in the treatment of glaucoma by eliminating blebs and bleb-related complications,” said Doug Adams, president, OccuLogix glaucoma division.