At Helix Surgical, we bring together experts from diverse fields: ophthalmology, optics, laser technology, user-centered design, mechanics, electronics…
All passionate, all driven by the same goal: to imagine useful and practical solutions for surgeons. It is in Bordeaux, at the heart of a unique laser ecosystem, that our paths crossed.
Together, we design tools made for the operating room—easy to use and truly tailored to the needs on the ground. Because for us, innovation is above all about addressing what really matters—with precision, clarity, and cutting-edge technology.
To provide ophthalmic surgeons with the means to offer a coherent and high-quality surgical approach aimed at maximizing their patients’ quality of life, by making accessible cutting-edge technologies such as premium implants, femtosecond lasers, and more, which help reduce the need for glasses.
Ocular surgery is one of the most demanding and selective specialties (for example, only 100,000 surgeons worldwide are capable of performing cataract surgery using the traditional method). The demand for premium implants that reduce the reliance on glasses is growing rapidly. However, despite its recognized benefits for premium implants, the use of lasers in cataract surgery remains stagnant due to its cost and slowness.
Faced with this reality, we chose to take action, and the journey began with our first innovation, Rx: Helix Surgical’s handheld femtolaser designed to perform premium capsulotomies in cataract surgery, offering a fast learning curve, seamless integration into existing surgical workflows without time loss, and a very attractive cost for premium services.
We design, develop, and market breakthrough medical devices in the field of ophthalmic surgery. Our goal: to democratize access to premium surgery by combining technological performance, ease of use, and economic accessibility.
Our strength lies in proprietary technologies with high barriers to entry. Today, we are the only ones worldwide capable of transferring the power of a femtosecond laser to a handheld device via a flexible optical link—a major technological feat that no one has yet been able to replicate.
This innovation allows us to offer a unique device: compact, mobile, battery-powered, easy to integrate into diverse environments, and perfectly suited to the evolving needs of surgeons. With Rx, we address a rapidly changing market, paving the way for more flexible, accessible, and future-oriented surgery.
Professor Burkhard Dick is President of the ESCRS (European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons). An ophthalmologist based in Bochum, Germany, he specializes in refractive and cataract surgery. Thanks to his numerous contributions to the scientific literature in this field, he is considered one of the pioneers in the use of femtosecond laser technology for cataract surgery.
Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bordeaux University Hospital, head of the anterior segment unit. Science Phd in “laser surgery of the cornea and crystalline lens“. President – Society of the French Association of Implants and Refractive Surgery (SAFIR). Member of the Academy of Surgery.
Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Paris. Head of the Ophthalmology Department of the Cochin Hospital. Co-director of the OphtalmoPôle of the Cochin Hospital in Paris.
Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Sourdille-Atlantique Eye Institute (Elsan Group, France). Dr. Lignereux specializes in cataract and retinal surgery. A former Chief Resident at the University Hospitals of Nantes (France), he has performed over 15,000 cataract surgeries and 7,000 retinal surgeries.
Gérard Mourou is a professor and member of the Haut-collège at the Ecole polytechnique. In 2018 he was awarded the Nobel Price in Physics for his research on ultrafast lasers. He created the femtosecond laser technology that is used in millions of refractive and cataract surgeries worldwide.
Professor of Ophthalmology, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Brest. Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the University Hospital of Brest. Former President of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS). President of the French Academy of Ophthalmology. Vice President of the National Union of Ophthalmologists of France (SNOF). President of the National Professional Council of Ophthalmology (French Academy of Ophthalmology).
Ilasis Laser creation
First rhexis in pig eye
Move to Cite de la Photonique (Bordeaux, France)
Prototype Alpha ready
February: First in man by Dr Lignereux (France)
February: Fundraising of 2.2M€ Fundraising
September: ESCRS Milan (Inovation Day) – First public presentation
October: Helix Surgical brand creation
March: Final clinical trial
June: Fundraising of 4.4 M€ Move to Parc Amperis (Bordeaux, France)
September: ESCRS Vienna : First live product demo
Décember: ISO 13485 validation
Décember: CE marking MDR
January: First Rx distributors in Europe: Germany/Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain/Portugal
July: First sale
September > 200 patients cured
July: iXcore Group invests in the capital of Helix Surgical
Ilasis Laser becomes Helix Surgical
HELIX SURGICAL
Parc Ampéris, Bât. Baya,
8 rue Adrienne Bolland, 33600 Pessac (FRANCE)
+33 (0)5 64 31 19 30