A Melbourne-designed implant that aims to protect the sight of people with moderate to severe glaucoma is now part of a large, Australian trial underway at Cerulea Clinical Trials and several other sites across the country.

The VividFlo implant, designed by CERA Principal Investigator of Glaucoma Surgical Research Professor Michael Coote, is a step towards improving how vision might be protected in the future.

“It has been incredibly rewarding to take this from an idea to a clinical trial, especially one that is so close to home,” says Professor Coote.

The implant being trialled by VividWhite –the company founded by Professor Coote alongside experienced medtech executive Andrew Batty – is built on innovative research on how to reduce pressure in the eye.

Reducing pressure

People whose glaucoma cannot be controlled through eye drops may need surgery to help fluid drain from the eye.

However, current treatments are not effective for everyone.

Professor Coote’s work to find a new treatment started in 2010 when he pioneered research to better understand how fluid can leave the eye.

The VividFlo implant is designed to create an additional channel through which fluid can drain, and disperse it gently through a series of over 150 exit channels over the back of the eye.

This innovative design incorporates micro-fluidics and nanofabrication to release fluid in a controlled and consistent fashion to protect the rest of the eye and potentially improve how glaucoma is managed long term.

Following a successful feasibility study in 2022, private investment and $1 million in funding from MTPConnect – the Australian Government’s Life Sciences Innovation Accelerator – the device entered a large, multi-centre study in 2024.

CERA Managing Director Professor Keith Martin is one of the surgeons involved with the clinical trial.

“There are not many examples where a small team, without assistance from a major medical device or pharmaceutical company, have taken an idea like this all the way from the drawing board to clinical trial,” says Professor Martin.

“It’s quite a privilege to be part of this trial, based on such fantastic research and a design that has been entirely locally created.” 

This story was originally published in Share our vision: Annual Review 2024.