MILAN, Sept. 5, 2012 -- Okuvision GmbH, the leading developer of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) therapy for patients with early-to mid-stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP) today announced that results from the Company's human clinical trial will be shared at the 12th EURETINA Congress, in Milan, 6-9 September.
The abstract titled "Effects of Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa" will be presented by Dr. Tobias Roeck from the Centre for Ophthalmology at the University of Tuebingen, on Friday, 7 September at 17:50 CEST. The presentation will focus on the impact of treatment with the Company's OkuStim TES technology and the trial results achieved to-date.
"While recent clinical trials have shown promise for retinal implants to restore vision to patients with late stage RP, treatments for early to mid-stage RP patients have not historically been as successful," said Dr. Tobias Roeck, consultant at the Centre for Ophthalmology of the University of Tuebingen, Germany.
"The patients in Okuvision's clinical trial saw a meaningful increase in their field of vision after receiving 150 percent of their perceived threshold of stimulation for six weeks. We're pleased with what we've been able to achieve thus far and look forward to further studying this technology and sharing our findings with the ophthalmic community at EURETINA."
Okuvision's CE marked OkuStim technology delivers physician-directed levels of TES to RP patients, with the goal of slowing the progression of RP-related blindness. During treatment, patients may feel a slight sensation, but no discomfort or pain is involved in the treatment. The results of Okuvision's pilot study were published in June 2011 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science and demonstrated that patients receiving stimulation showed a statistically significant improvement in their field of vision.
To add to the body of scientific evidence on the OkuStim technology, Okuvision is launching additional, studies of the technology. Taking place in Tuebingen, the EST2 study will test three levels of stimulation with OkuStim over a one-year period. TESOLA, a post-market multi-center research study in Europe, is also scheduled to begin in September 2012.
"We are encouraged by the results our patients have achieved thus far using the OkuStim technology," said Reinhard Rubow, CEO of Okuvision GmbH. "Our team looks forward to working with clinicians to continue building on what we know about the impact of OkuStim therapy so we can determine the impact of long-term use as well as the optimal level of stimulation patients should receive."
Congress attendees can learn more about Okuvision's OkuStim technology by visiting the Company's booth #P393.