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Dr. Schallhorn's innovative design makes it easy to apply a single eyedrop, even for Veterans who lack dexterity or grip strength in their hands.
October 28, 2024
By Joe Huggins
VA Research Communications
"It is difficult to see patients who are suffering and are not served by the current options. This was the major motivation for me!"
Dr. Julie Schallhorn, an ophthalmologist at the San Francisco VA, saw a common struggle amongst her patients, particularly those with less strength and dexterity in their hands: administering eye drops was a pain.
It’s a challenge many can relate to, particularly with those prescribed the preservative-free eye drops in their single vial containers, trying to squeeze out a small drop of fluid while keeping the dispenser precisely positioned over the eye, where even a near miss can cause the drop to go down a cheek instead, wasting the dose. It’s much worse for those with disabilities like Parkinson’s. The difficulty in administering eye drops can lead to early medication discontinuation, potentially causing future problems.
“It is difficult to see patients who are suffering and are not served by the current options,” explained Shallhorn. “This was the major motivation for me!”
So Schallhorn used her bioengineering training to invent a device that makes administering eye drops much easier. Her prototype was made from a single piece of plastic that used a hammer-shaped handle to squeeze out a single drop of fluid while a stabilizing bar rests on the patient's cheekbone. The cheekbone is always a uniform distance from the eye, regardless of gender or race, so Shallhorn knew her device would work for any adult.
Dr. Schallhorn's first prototype.
All she needed was a vehicle to get her prototype to market -- to be exact, the Veterans Engineering Health Innovations Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (VEHICLE). As part of the Technology Transfer Assistance Program (TTAP), VEHICLE focuses on the clinical needs of Veterans with disabilities. There, Schallhorn teamed up with program manager Stephanie Nogan Bailey. Bailey's expertise is in executing clinical research protocols and device development. She also has an appreciation for the daily challenges faced by Veterans with movement disorders.
The two worked together to create a second prototype with an ambidextrous, contoured grip and a wider area where the device stabilizes on the cheekbone. They also created a more secure, easier-load receptacle for the vial that loaded from the front, rather than the side, and made the whole device out of a non-slip material. When placed against the patient's face, this dispenser ensures steady and safe delivery of the eye drops.
Meanwhile, ORD’s Technology Transfer Program (TTP) began working on patenting and marketing. They developed a marketing plan that explored the potential customer base for the device and what is currently available on the market. Specifically, they explored how the device would help the expanding numbers of people with Parkinson's disease and the ever-growing aging population.
The market research from TTP and design help from VEHICLE allowed Schallhorn to submit a patent for the device. TTP then developed a licensing and intellectual property agreement, which led to the device being licensed to RAIN Eye Drops, an online company selling preservative-free eye drops. The dispenser device will be included with each new RAIN Eye Drops subscription.
“The ability to connect VA researchers and clinicians with top notch biomedical engineers in TTP’s TTAP helps the VA innovators translate their dreams into real world products that help Veterans and the population at large,” said Dr. John Kaplan, TTP director.
TTP has the vital mission of bringing to market inventions created within the VA that could benefit Veterans and all Americans. Since 2020, TTP’s group of engineers have facilitated the introduction of more than 380 VA inventions into the market. The process begins with an idea by a VA physician, researcher, or staff person. Anyone within VA can develop a concept, and TTP is there to partner with the inventor to help create high-level, functional prototypes; perform design and cost analyses; construct technical drawings; and design history files.
“The overall process of development was quite smooth with the innovation lab, and working with the Tech Transfer office made it quite easy,” said Schallhorn. She also encouraged other VA researchers, clinicians, and staff with invention ideas to reach out to TTP as well. “Pursue it! Patients with conditions that are not met by the current treatments need and deserve innovative solutions.”
Originally created to form a pipeline of invention disclosures and medical ideas, TTAP started in the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System in 2018 through the vision of Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Rory Cooper, Pittsburgh Human Engineering Laboratories director. TTAP became the program it is today in 2021 with the establishment of two additional sites in Cleveland and Minneapolis. For more information, or help marketing your own inventions, visit the VA Technology Transfer Program website.
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