Catholic University St. Vincent's Hospital Receives U.S. Patent for 'Safe Vitreous Cutter Device' for Retinal Surgery

Catholic University St. Vincent's Hospital announced that the 'Safe Vitreous Cutter Device,' a medical device for retinal surgery developed by Professor Ji Dong-hyun of the Department of Ophthalmology, has been registered for patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Korea Intellectual Property Office.

Professor Ji is listed as the inventor, while Catholic University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation is listed as the applicant and rights holder.

Vitrectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the vitreous humor within the eye to treat retinal diseases. During this process, there is a risk that retinal tissue may be inadvertently aspirated or damaged. The device developed by Professor Ji features a mesh-type protective barrier at the tip of the cutter, designed to selectively remove only the vitreous humor while preventing retinal tissue from passing through.

Professor Ji Dong-hyun stated, "The device was designed to structurally reduce the risk of retinal damage and help enable safer retinal surgery," and added, "We plan to pursue follow-up research and technology transfer for clinical application."