TearScience Introduces LipiFlow® Activator II

MORRISVILLE, N.C., May 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TearScience, a privately held medical device company and manufacturer of LipiFlow^® for treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), announced today the release of the LipiFlow Activator II treatment disposable.  The newly released disposable maintains the same level of quality and efficacy as the original Activator.

LipiFlow's Activator consists of the scleral lens heating surface, the shield structure and the pulsation bladders, all of which directly interface with the patient oculus. The Activator II meets the same standard for sterility as the original Activator.  Activator II is used with a separate, semi-permanent cable, which remains connected to the LipiFlow Console. The LipiFlow System now includes a reusable cable that reduces waste. With roughly five million tons of institutional medical waste being dumped in US landfills each year, TearScience is proud to introduce this new, waste-reducing Activator II, which is compatible with existing LipiFlow systems.

"The eye care professionals with whom we partner have fueled our growth and made innovation an imperative. LipiFlow treatment volume grew almost 3-fold in 2016. This growth required a responsible look at an environmentally sustainable design for the disposable. Now, the most advanced eye care professionals in the world prioritize uncovering MGD to improve patient care as they do in other diseases.  Today, MGD is increasingly treated prior to the onset of dry eye symptoms and fluctuating vision.  We take pride in our professional partners, our innovations, and in reducing medical waste," said Joe Boorady, President and CEO, TearScience, Inc.

LipiFlow has consistently demonstrated superior efficacy in more than 30 peer reviewed studies, now having shown sustained effect of increased mean meibomian gland secretions and improved mean dry eye symptoms from a single application.¹ Increased recognition of the important role MGD plays in compromising the ocular surface and of new accessible pricing from TearScience is resulting in a transformation of patient care and renewed practice growth.

According to Preeya Gupta, MD, "The new Activator II delivers the same inner lid heating and simultaneous application of custom peristaltic pressure that achieves the results and patient satisfaction I've come to expect.  I routinely examine my patients for MGD and LipiFlow has provided us with an effective way of treating it." 

About TearScience®

TearScience® is a medical device company that pioneered technologies and continues to lead innovation that vastly improves treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). A progressive, prevalent, obstructive disease and a root cause of dry eye, MGD is distinguished by loss of function and/or structure of tear oil glands. It affects the vast majority dry eye sufferers worldwide and is highly prevalent in the general ophthalmic population. LipiView® II and LipiScan with Dynamic Meibomian Imaging™ (DMI) distinctively image meibomian gland structure. The Meibomian Gland Evaluator™ is used in reproducible professional assessment of gland function. The LipiFlow® procedure with Vectored Thermal Pulse™ (VTP) technology precisely directs treatment for MGD. LipiFlow is FDA-cleared, and a single procedure proven in sponsored and unsponsored multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical studies to have sustained effect. For additional information on how TearScience improves meibomian gland function and symptoms for patients with MGD worldwide, please visit www.TearScience.com.

1. Blackie CA, Coleman CA, Holland EJ. The sustained effect (12 months) of a single-dose vectored thermal pulsation procedure for meibomian gland dysfunction and evaporative dry eye. Clin Ophthal. 2016;10:1385-1396.

Media Contact:   
Kara Stephens
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SOURCE TearScience