HUMANeye · Project

Titanium Corneal Implant That Corrects Vision and Stops Eye Disease Progression

healthPilotedTRL 7

Imagine your cornea — the clear front window of your eye — slowly warping out of shape, blurring your vision and getting worse every year. Current fixes are either too aggressive (laser surgery can't work on a weakened cornea) or unreliable (transplants often need repeat operations costing over €14,000 per patient). HUMANeye built a tiny dome-shaped net made of medical-grade titanium that gets implanted inside the cornea to reshape it from within, like an internal scaffold that holds everything in place. In clinical tests it showed 70% higher success rates and 66% stronger vision correction than existing ring-shaped implants.

By the numbers

€1.2 trillion

Global costs from visual refractive errors (2019)

10%

World population predicted to be affected by 2050

€14,000+

Spiraling treatment costs per patient for corneal transplants

70%

Higher success rates than current ring-shaped implants

66%

Stronger refractive correction than current implants

€103.6 million

Projected cumulative revenues (2023-2027)

€54.9 million

Projected profits (2023-2027)

938,000

Targeted successful operations

295,000

Patients helped to better employment

€20.1 billion

Savings in healthcare and productivity costs

Jobs created (21 internal + 48 external)

€1,632,797

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Millions of people suffer from corneal deformations that destroy their vision, often striking young adults at the peak of their careers. Current treatments fail them: laser surgery is too aggressive for weakened corneas, and transplants require multiple expensive operations costing over €14,000 per patient with highly unpredictable results. The global economic burden from visual refractive errors already reached €1.2 trillion in 2019 and is growing fast.

The solution

What was built

A dome-shaped corneal net implant made from medical-grade titanium (nitinol), designed for deep corneal implantation. The project delivered a clinically validated device with 70% higher success rates and 66% stronger refractive correction than existing ring-shaped implants, along with a manufacturing process using laser micromachining and clinical trial results from two European ophthalmic centres.

Audience

Who needs this

Ophthalmic medical device companies looking to expand their corneal implant portfolioPrivate eye surgery clinics treating patients ineligible for laser refractive surgeryContract manufacturers with laser micromachining capabilities seeking medical device contractsNational health services and insurance providers seeking to reduce repeat corneal transplant costsMedical device distributors covering European and global ophthalmology markets

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Ophthalmic medical devices

mid-size

Target: Medical device manufacturers producing corneal implants or intraocular lenses

If you are a medical device company manufacturing eye implants and struggling with limited correction outcomes from ring-shaped corneal inserts — this project developed a dome-shaped nitinol corneal net that achieved 70% higher success rates and 66% stronger refractive correction than current ring implants. With projected cumulative revenues of €103.6 million by 2027, a commercial licensing partnership could open a fast route to a growing market of pathological corneal deformations.

Eye care hospital networks

enterprise

Target: Private ophthalmology clinics and hospital chains offering refractive surgery

If you are a private eye clinic dealing with patients who are poor candidates for laser surgery due to weakened corneas — this project clinically validated a titanium corneal implant with simpler, more reproducible implantation. Current corneal transplants lead to spiraling costs of over €14,000 per patient through repeat operations. HUMANeye's approach targets 295,000 patients and could save €20.1 billion in combined healthcare and productivity costs.

Laser micromachining and precision manufacturing

SME

Target: Contract manufacturers specializing in micro-scale medical device fabrication

If you are a precision manufacturer with laser micromachining capabilities looking for high-value medical applications — this project requires production of dome-shaped titanium nets at microscopic scales for corneal implantation. The consortium projects 938,000 successful operations and needs manufacturing partners to scale production for a market launch targeting €54.9 million in profits by 2027.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the implant cost compared to current treatments?

The project data does not specify a per-unit price for the HUMANeye implant. However, current corneal transplants lead to spiraling costs of over €14,000 per patient due to multiple repeat operations. The implant's simpler, more reproducible procedure is designed to significantly reduce that total treatment cost.

Can this be manufactured at industrial scale?

The consortium includes two hi-tech SMEs specifically tasked with manufacturing the technology and pushing it to market. The project targets 938,000 successful operations and projects €103.6 million in cumulative revenues from 2023 to 2027, indicating a clear industrial-scale production plan.

What is the IP and licensing situation?

The project mentions rollout through an established commercial license partner, suggesting the IP is structured for licensing. The two SME partners retain manufacturing and commercialization rights. Specific patent details are not disclosed in the available project data.

Has this been tested on real patients?

Yes. The project explicitly includes clinical trials conducted at two leading European ophthalmic care centres. The consortium was designed to prove the implant's worth in the clinic, and the project ran as a Fast Track to Innovation action focused on market readiness.

What regulatory approvals are needed?

As a Class III implantable medical device in the EU, the HUMANeye implant requires CE marking under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). The clinical trial data generated during the project is a key step toward regulatory submission. Based on available project data, specific regulatory milestones beyond the clinical trials are not detailed.

How does this compare to existing corneal ring implants?

The project reports 70% higher success rates and 66% stronger refractive correction than current ring-shaped implants on the market. The dome shape uniquely matches the natural architecture of corneal tissue layers, making implantation simpler and more reproducible.

What is the market size for this technology?

Global costs from visual refractive errors reached approximately €1.2 trillion in 2019. Pathological corneal shape deformations are predicted to affect 10% of the world population by 2050. The project targets 295,000 patients and estimates €20.1 billion in combined healthcare savings and productivity gains.

Consortium

Who built it

The HUMANeye consortium is compact and commercially oriented: 4 partners across 4 countries (Spain, France, Ireland, Italy) with a 50% industry ratio and 2 SMEs. This is a strong signal for a business-ready project — not a sprawling academic network. The coordinator is a research foundation linked to Spain's Institute of Ocular Microsurgery, one of Europe's top eye surgery centres. The two SME partners handle manufacturing and commercialization, while the clinical validation comes from established ophthalmic care centres. With €1.6 million in EU funding and an Innovation Action classification under the Fast Track to Innovation programme, this consortium was built to move from clinic to market, not to publish papers.

BLUEACRE TECHNOLOGY LIMITEDparticipant · IE
CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE DE TOULOUSEparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

The coordinator is Fundació de Recerca de l'Institut de Microcirurgia Ocular in Barcelona, Spain. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing, manufacturing partnerships, or clinical adoption of HUMANeye? Contact SciTransfer for a detailed briefing and warm introduction to the consortium.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical