Mount Sinai announced on Apr. 9 that its ophthalmologist, Dr. Sean Ianchulev, will unveil a new surgical technology called miDOC (micro-interventional Dynamic Outflow Curve) at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 12.
The development is significant because it enables surgeons to measure and respond to fluid dynamics inside the eye during surgery. This could improve precision and outcomes in glaucoma and other ophthalmic procedures where real-time data has not previously been available.
Dr. Ianchulev said, “This is the equivalent of what optical biometry did for cataract surgery. miDOC brings precision to glaucoma surgery that simply has not existed before. We are certainly on the verge of something very exciting—bringing glaucoma surgery into the age of digital-guided precision, high fidelity, and biometric feedback. This will allow glaucoma surgeons to one day achieve similar outcomes as we see in cataract surgical interventions.”
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is currently the only center using this technology in a first-in-human clinical study that began in July 2025 with twenty cases completed so far under intraoperative biometric guidance. Dr. Gautam Kamthan, co-inventor of miDOC and Principal Investigator of the study, said, “Intraoperative measurement of aqueous outflow has not previously been possible during ophthalmic surgery. This capability has the potential to transform outflow-based surgical interventions by advancing the field toward high-precision biometry and improved clinical outcomes.”
While miDOC was developed for glaucoma surgeries—which often lack precise intraoperative measurements—the device may also have broader applications across other types of eye surgeries such as cataract procedures or retinal disease assessments due to its ability to monitor additional physiological parameters.
Researchers plan further refinement and regulatory submissions for wider use; however, miDOC remains investigational without U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance at this time.
