ROSENBERG, Texas—Ocusoft, in a joint venture with Essentia Pharma, a marketing and investment subsidiary of Ocusoft, has acquired the intellectual property portfolio of Digital Heat Corp., a science and technology-based company located in Phoenix, Arizona. The price was not disclosed. A key asset of the portfolio is an eyelid warming device for dry eye patients which will be marketed as the Ocusoft Thermal 1-Touch. The device offers preset modes and temperature settings which can treat four eyelids simultaneously. These features provide improved patient convenience for in-office procedures, according to Ocusoft. Significantly, the device eliminates disposables cost by leveraging a proprietary technology known as Digi Lens, which makes the Thermal 1-Touch cost-effective for physicians.

“Ocusoft and Essentia work together in product development funding as well as regional marketing,” explained Stacy Foster, chief business officer of Ocusoft and chairman of the Essentia companies. “Together, we have been looking at various devices which could offer our doctors a full range of dry eye therapies. The problem with most of the devices we looked at was cost. Most were just too expensive. Digital Heat fixed that with a convenient, easy-to-use treatment.

John Devine, described by Ocusoft as “the brains behind Digital Heat” remains Ocusoft's vice president for medical devices.