Home Diseases and Conditions Glaucoma 

Glaucoma 

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Development Stage

Early Stage

Focused ultrasound research is in the laboratory phase and is not yet available for patients.

Clinical Trials

Focused ultrasound for this condition is being researched in clinical trials.

International Approval

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites.

FDA Approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved focus ultrasound for this condition. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating sites.

Early Stage

Clinical Trials

International

FDA Approved

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites.

Focused Ultrasound Therapy

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with glaucoma. This innovative technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on the ciliary body in the eye without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
There are a couple of ways in which focused ultrasound is being investigated to address glaucoma.

With the Eye Tech Care device, the focused ultrasound produces precise coagulation of a portion of the ciliary body, which decreases the intraocular pressure by reducing the production of aqueous humor. The result is a non-incisional treatment of glaucoma. The procedure does need to be done in the operating room, as anesthesia is needed.

A second mechanism of action is found in the device made by EyeSonix, which treats open angle glaucoma. The focused ultrasound energy is applied at several locations around the eye, which offer a mild inflammatory trigger to the trabecular meshwork and anterior chamber angle resulting in enhanced drainage of the aqueous humor.

Advantages
The primary options for treatment of glaucoma includes a variety of medications, trabeculoplasty or more extensive surgery that may include implantation of a foreign body into the eye.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing, infection, or implantation of foreign bodies into the eye – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

There are currently no focused ultrasound clinical trials recruiting patients with glaucoma. 

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.

See a list of treatment sites >
See a list of laboratory research sites >

Find a Treatment Site

Search for a treatment center or clinical trial near you.

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement 

The Eye Tech Care device has regulatory approvals for use in Europe, the Middle East, China, Latin America (Mexico), and multiple locations in South-East Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam).

See a video about EyeTechCare’s UCP Treatment >

Notable Papers

Wang W, Wang C, Zhou Y, Yan S, Li X, Xie L. Preliminary study on the treatment of acute angle closure glaucoma with high intensity focused ultrasound cycloplasty. Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 29;15(1):33574. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-18675-7. PMID: 41022980 

Ge P, Yang J, Xi JW, Sang W, Yang XX, Fu ZW, Jia J, He Y. Efficacy of ultrasound cyclo-plasty in treatment of glaucoma in Asian population. Int J Ophthalmol. 2025 Mar 18;18(3):549-556. doi: 10.18240/ijo.2025.03.23. eCollection 2025. PMID: 40103949

Almobarak FA, Alrubean A, Alsarhani WK, Aljenaidel A. Ultrasound cyclo plasty in advanced glaucoma: Intermediate-term success, predictors for failure and complications. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2024 Nov;34(6):1949-1956. doi: 10.1177/11206721241235430. Epub 2024 Feb 29. PMID: 38425194 

Ruixue W, Wenjun D, Le J, Fangfang F, Ning L, Xiaoya C, Suyan L. A comparative study of ultrasound cycloplasty and endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation in the treatment of secondary glaucoma. Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 27;13(1):23073. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50157-6. PMID: 38155225 

Almobarak FA, Alrubean A, Alsarhani WK, Aljenaidel A, Osman EA. Two-Year Outcomes of Ultrasound Cyclo Plasty as a First Procedure in Glaucoma. Semin Ophthalmol. 2023 Jul;38(5):482-489. doi: 10.1080/08820538.2023.2170715. Epub 2023 Feb 10. PMID: 36762779 

Bolek B, Wylęgała A, Wylęgała E. Ultrasound ciliary plasty in glaucoma treatment: A long-term follow-up study. Acta Ophthalmol. 2023 May;101(3):293-300. doi: 10.1111/aos.15290. Epub 2022 Nov 30.

Almobarak FA, Alrubean A, Alsarhani WK, Aljenaidel A, Osman EA. Two-Year Outcomes of Ultrasound Cyclo Plasty as a First Procedure in Glaucoma. Semin Ophthalmol. 2023 Feb 10:1-8. doi: 10.1080/08820538.2023.2170715.

Figus M, Palma A, Covello G, Agnifili L, Posarelli C. Ultrasound Cyclo Plasty in Patients with Open Angle Glaucoma and High Myopia. J Glaucoma. 2023 Feb 10. doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002185.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.