Millions await transplants: The Israeli solution that will change everything

For many years, corneal transplant surgeries have been the primary treatment for corneal edema. Yet despite surgical and technological advances, global surgical capacity is limited to around 200,000 transplants per year. This number, which has become almost fixed, does not reflect success—it reflects a deep limitation. It is a glass ceiling stemming from the ongoing shortage of donor tissue, leaving millions of people worldwide with corneal edema, pain, and impaired vision, sometimes to the point of total blindness.

Against this backdrop, the EndoArt implant, developed and manufactured in Israel by EyeYon Medical, emerges as a solution that not only adds a new treatment option for corneal surgeons but changes the rules of the game. EndoArt is an artificial endothelial layer, thin and flexible, designed to replace the function of cells that have lost their ability to remove fluid from the cornea. It does not require donor tissue, allowing treatment on an unlimited scale—not a system based on chance, goodwill, and complex supply chains, but a stable, uniform, predictable, off-the-shelf medical product with a long shelf life.

For patients, the implications are enormous: A real chance for vision restoration in countries that have never had access to corneal transplants. In countries without cornea banks, entire populations have been left for decades without any treatment options. EndoArt opens a door that was closed and offers the opportunity to see again, without waiting for a donor who may or may not be found.

And this is not just potential—it is already reality: Over 800 patients worldwide have undergone the transplant. Most reported up to a 90% reduction in pain within a year and significant improvement in visual acuity—60% experienced an improvement of three lines or more, and there are cases where patients returned to driving after the transplant. Some patients have been under clinical follow-up for over 6.5 years, maintaining functional stability.

Even in advanced countries with access to tissue, EndoArt changes the paradigm. In the United States, for example, about 14% of corneal transplants are repeat surgeries due to a previous graft failure, often caused by prior glaucoma surgeries, anterior chamber implants, immunological rejection, or chronic damage accumulated over the years.

EndoArt eliminates the dependence on sensitive biological tissue, providing resilience in environments where donor cells do not survive. Simply put, instead of a delicate, sensitive cellular system, the patient receives an engineered system designed to function reliably and unaffected by the environment.

For investors, this represents a seismic shift in the eye care market. The existing market—around 200,000 surgeries per year—does not reflect real demand but the upper limit of what can be performed given the tissue shortage. Estimates indicate millions of patients need treatment, the vast majority of whom do not receive it, with approximately 70 patients waiting for every available cornea. The enormous gap between medical need and limited supply created a “locked” market, with no real growth potential. EndoArt creates a completely new category: Treatment that can be produced without limitation, with a stable business model, in a market with potential for growth by several orders of magnitude.

Moreover, the EndoArt transplant not only expands treatment options but presents investors with a technological opportunity capable of breaking the 200,000 corneal transplants annual ceiling and redefining the entire corneal medicine market.

Unlike corneal transplants that rely on complex supply chains, available operating rooms, preparation laboratories, and heavy logistics—all centered on perishable donor tissue—EndoArt offers a stable, off-the-shelf solution that can be stored, distributed, and used predictably, providing health systems and hospitals with resilience against external variability and higher economic efficiency. For patients, the impact is equally profound: Shorter waiting times, fewer biological complications, stable outcomes, and vision restoration even in cases previously considered lost.

Ultimately, EndoArt is far more than a new product; it is a paradigm shift. It frees corneal medicine from dependence on donor tissue, opens access for millions, and lays a stable technological and economic foundation for long-term growth. This is one of those rare moments where deep medical value and clear business value meet, creating a new future for patients, doctors, and investors alike.