On June 11 in New York City, the Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) held a ceremony to recognize significant achievements in medical product design. Products were judged based on design and engineering innovation, function and user-related innovation, patient benefits, business benefits and overall benefit to the healthcare system. Of the 10 award categories, two device winners represented the vision care sector.
Taking the Gold prize for the Nonsurgical Hospital Supplies and Equipment category was Alcon’s iLUX® MGD Treatment System, designed to treat the signs and symptoms of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), a leading cause of dry eye. First introduced earlier this February, this handheld portable enables ECPs to directly target a patient’s blocked Meibomian glands through the application of light-based heat followed by compression under direct visualization. The device expands the company’s current dry eye treatment offerings and allows practitioners to tailor treatment to the needs of each dry eye patient in a matter of minutes.
Snagging the Silver prize for the Radiological, Imaging, and Electromechanical Devices category was the Valeda™ Light Delivery System by LumiThera. This system, currently still investigational, is being studied for the treatment of dry AMD and other ocular diseases and disorders.
The MDEAs are the medical technology industry’s premier design competition, recognizing cutting-edge products that are saving lives, improving patient healthcare and transforming med tech. The 2019 MDEA juror panel is comprised of a balance of practicing doctors, nurses and technicians alongside industrial designers, engineers, manufacturers and human factor experts.
News source: https://www.alcon.com/media-release/alcons-iluxr-mgd-treatment-system-wins-top-honor-2019-medical-design-excellence