Spotlight on... Clear Surgical
This month we shine the spotlight on a 2013 spin-out company of SHIL, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and NHS Grampian. Clear Surgical, a medical device company develops innovative solutions to surgical problems and now Oplight - a small, wafer-thin light dreamt up by NHS Ayrshire and Arran staff is set to transform surgical lighting in hospitals across the globe.
Measuring just 4mm thick and 5.5cm long, the cartridge adheres to surgical instruments and lights up the operating cavity from the inside so that surgeons can see more clearly.
Developed by Larbert based firm Clear Surgical and manufactured in Glasgow and Irvine, Oplight has already attracted over £1.3m in investment.
The company’s CEO, Phil Harris said: “Oplight is a simple, yet very effective invention that gives surgeons extra light where they need it most. You simply stick it onto existing surgical instruments and remove it after each procedure so that they can be sterilised as normal. It addresses many of the lighting issues surgeons currently face, from shadowing from overhead theatre lights to trailing fibre optic cables.”
Following successful trials at hospitals in Edinburgh and Ayrshire, the light was launched at the World’s largest medical trade show Medica and has attracted orders from hospitals in the USA, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Oplight is supported by Scottish Health Innovations Ltd, which works in partnership with NHS Scotland to bring new ideas and innovations from healthcare professionals to life.
Graham Watson, SHIL’s Executive Chair, said: “Oplight is the first major advancement in surgical lighting in many years and we believe the market is going to be huge. It’s an extremely versatile product with a wide range of surgical applications, from cardiac and spinal to bowel and breast, at a fraction of the cost of current lighting options. To date, more than £1.3 million has been invested in the company, showing there’s a high level of confidence in the power of this invention to transform surgical lighting across the globe.”
SHIL has a strong record in producing spin-out companies on behalf of NHS Scotland. Each company has been set up to produce and market healthcare innovations that originated from NHS Scotland employees.
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