When Christopher Hillios sat down to create a new type of syringe, his purpose was very personal reports The Republican.
The Southampton resident was first diagnosed with diabetes in 2000, and his doctor told him he would need to start injecting himself with insulin at home every day. But Hillios, now 65, said his fear of self-injection caused him to refuse his doctor’s orders for six years.
“I was really, really afraid of injecting myself,” Hillios said. “My endocrinologist knew that I was an inventor, and he said, ‘If you could come up with something to help people with this, it would be great.’ So my wife and I worked for a long time and finally came up with something feasible, and it really works. I don’t inject without it.”
Hillios and his wife, Sonia Hillios, 48, received a patent for their Confidisc syringe injection system on Sept. 7, four years after they completed their prototype. The design resembles a normal syringe but with the addition of a large disc on the needle that limits the depth of the injection.
Hillios said that in addition to the increased safety and accuracy that the Confidisc provides, it can block the sight of the needle, which can be immensely helpful for many diabetics with a fear of self-injection.
“For a lot of people that should be on insulin, their greatest fear is the fear of injection. To them, the pain and psychological concern is real, and this is a giant step forward to reduce that,” he said.
Image from Confidisc