It was during the pandemic that Dr. Patricia Buehler finally made some headway in fine-tuning a device that makes it easier for physicians to perform upper eyelid lifts.

She and her husband, former state Rep. Knute Buehler, sat at the kitchen counter practicing on chicken thighs with surgical precision.

“The thickness of the chicken thigh skin is the same as an eyelid,” said Patricia Buehler, a Bend ophthalmologist. “Then when we became comfortable enough, we went to the cadaver lab at the Oregon State University-Cascades.”

Through trial and error, the Buehlers fine tuned the device, and now it’s about to be tested in the field by a small group of hand-picked eye surgeons who will collect data, said Patricia Buehler, CEO of the company, called Osheru. Until now it’s been used on just 41 patients.

The device, called Ziplyft, was a finalist at the Bend Venture Conference in 2022 and a recipient of $4.7 million in investments from friends, family and Nike co-founder Phil Knight, the company announced. The influx of cash has allowed the company to hire a chief commercial officer and begin testing on live humans, not just chicken thighs and cadavers, Patricia Buehler said. Once the data is collected, the device can begin to be used. It does not require approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Buehler said.

Last year there were about 1.7 million eyelid surgeries performed worldwide, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

This kind of entrepreneurship is at the heart of what the Bend Venture Conference attempts to support, said Brian Vierra, Economic Development for Central Oregon venture catalyst.

“We are excited to see another Central Oregon startup (Ziplyft) execute on the momentum they were able to build as a finalist in the 2022 Bend Venture Conference,” Vierra said. “Every year, since 2004, the (conference) has helped catalyze businesses by coaching, mentoring, and connecting with resources such as financing.”

Trial and error

The Ziplyft device is designed to cut down the bruising and healing time from an upper eyelid lift and take much less time in surgery, said Patricia Buehler. The procedure rejuvenates the appearance of eyelids and is among one of the most sought-after cosmetic surgeries in the United States, she said.

With age, eyelids stretch, causing drooping or excess skin above or below the eye. Traditional eyelid surgeries have remained unchanged for decades, requiring stitches and weeks of recovery.

The Ziplyft abandons traditional use of stitches in place of a skin adhesive, which saves time and reduces skin puckering.

The device is also cutting down on swelling and bruising that occurs in eyelid lifts, she said.

“We believe the healing time will be less, but we don’t have any side-by-side studies,” she said. “We can’t claim it will be less until we’ve done some more trials. That’s what we’re looking to do with the pilot program.”

The pilot program will be done by five surgeons who will use the device for three months starting in October, she said. The doctors will report back patient and surgeon outcomes looking at patient and surgeon satisfaction, bruising and symmetry, Buehler said. Once the information is collected, the data will be presented at medical meetings and the company will introduce other surgeons to the device.

The FDA requires the lowest level of regulatory requirements on the device because it does not come in contact with internal organs or cardiovascular or central nervous systems, according to the FDA. Following the pilot launch, a group of 15 additional surgeons will test the device and gather additional feedback, Buehler said. The plan is to market the device commercially by the end of 2025.

Dr. Deborah Ristvedt, an ophthalmologist in Minnesota, is one of the physicians in the trial.

“I am honored to be asked to join the advisory board group to look at the design and the needs of eyelid surgery,” Ristvedt said. “I love that she (Buehler) was able to design something that can allow people who may not be plastic surgeons to use the device and get better results.”

Moving ahead

Earlier this year, the device earned recognition from the Eyecelerator People’s Choice Award for innovation. And the year before, Patricia Buehler earned The Winning Pitch at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons competition for early stage development.

The device was developed based upon an ancient Egyptian concept of pinching off excess skin and allowing it to fall off. Ancient Egyptians used twigs, but the Ziplyft device is clear plastic that enables the surgeon to create symmetrical placement.

The Buehlers have experience with developing medical devices. Dr. Knute Buehler, an orthopedic surgeon who was one of the primary surgeons to develop a computer-assisted knee surgery device, tapped into a team of engineers used previously to come up with prototypes of the Ziplyft.

From October to December a cadre of hand-picked doctors like Ristvedt will review and record data on bruising, symmetry and recovery time, Buehler said. At the same time the Buehlers will hire a sales staff to sell the device to ophthalmologists, ocuplastic and facial plastic surgeons.

“It’s been amazing to see how new innovation starts,” Ristvedt said. “She came up with a problem and a solution. It’s exciting to see what she’s doing and the traction she’s gained and the support she’s received.”

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