Hexiris Ophthalmics to show OBi glaucoma data at five meetings

Hexiris Ophthalmics, a Canadian interventional glaucoma device company, has announced a five-meeting autumn conference programme during which it will present first-in-human clinical data from its OBi platform. The series opens at the Ophthalmology Futures Forum in London on 10 September, where co-founder Dr Nir Shoham-Hazon will present the platform and early clinical experience to an audience of ophthalmic clinicians, innovators and investors.

The OBi platform comprises four instruments: OBi Core, OBi Gon, OBi Shunt and OBi Spacer. The devices are designed to span the major aqueous outflow pathways, covering angle-based procedures through to subconjunctival filtration. The distinguishing design intent is office-based use: procedures are intended to be performed at the slit lamp rather than in a traditional operating theatre, without the need for capital equipment.

First-in-human results

The first clinical series covered eleven eyes treated with OBi Core by three surgeons across mild, moderate and advanced glaucoma presentations. The company reports no device- or procedure-related adverse events were observed, and early postoperative intraocular pressures ranged from single-digit to low-teen figures in mmHg. Additional clinical series are being compiled, and formal clinical studies are underway in Canada. Hexiris said it plans a commercial introduction of OBi Core and OBi Gon in select markets in early 2027, subject to applicable regulatory clearances. OBi Core holds a Health Canada medical device licence and is FDA registered; the remaining three instruments remain investigational.

Dr Shoham-Hazon attributed the company's founding rationale to surgical humanitarian missions in Gabon, Mozambique and Mexico, where access to patients was not the constraint. "Everywhere we operated on mission, the patients were there and the operating room was not," he said. "When glaucoma surgery can be performed safely at a slit lamp, it changes who can treat this disease, and where."

Following the London forum, the conference schedule includes the ESCRS Annual Congress (London, 11 to 15 September), the Canadian Glaucoma Society Meeting (Halifax, 19 to 20 September), the Sally Letson Symposium (Ottawa, 24 to 26 September) and AAO 2026 (New Orleans, 9 to 12 October). Hands-on OBi demonstrations are planned at the Canadian and Ottawa events.

Market context

The access gap Hexiris is targeting is significant. Glaucoma is widely cited as the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, with prevalence projected to reach around 112 million people by 2040. A Rutgers University analysis presented at ARVO 2026 found that approximately 80 per cent of US counties have no glaucoma specialist. That structural shortage provides a clear commercial rationale for office-based or task-shifted surgical approaches.

The minimally invasive glaucoma surgery segment is well established, with devices from companies including Alcon, Glaukos and iStent manufacturer Glaukos already approved and widely used in theatre settings. The differentiation Hexiris is pursuing, specifically slit-lamp delivery without capital equipment, positions OBi as a potential complement to existing MIGS portfolios rather than a direct competitor in the same procedural setting. Whether that distinction is durable will depend on the fuller safety and efficacy dataset that peer-reviewed publication and forthcoming clinical studies are expected to provide. The first-in-human series of eleven eyes, while encouraging on safety, is too small for conclusions about pressure control durability.