Artificial Cornea To Reach Patients This Year

kkleiner writes "A German-led team of researchers has developed a new version of an ophthalmological polymer to which the eye will bond and still function normally. 'The new polymer could help restore sight to thousands waiting for corneal transplants around the world. The artificial cornea has passed clinical trials and is ready to see expanded use in patients this year. ... In order to work in the human body, an artificial cornea has to meet some stringent requirements. First, it has to bond to the human eye around its edge. ... The center of the artificial cornea, however, does not promote cell growth and remains clear so that it can be seen through. The artificial cornea also has to move freely with the eyelid and balance moisture on its faces.'"

Comments

The future of medicine

[MrEricSir]

I didn't see this coming.

Re:The future of medicine

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, truly visionary.

Re:The future of medicine

[Monkeedude1212]

Yeah, but are they comfortable? I'm not sure if I would want to trade sight for sore eyes.

Re:The future of medicine

[Anonymous Coward]

There's nothing to see here... move along

Re:The future of medicine

[Anonymous Coward]

That couldn't have been cornea if you tried.

Re:Having a new cornea put in?

[Anonymous Coward]

So you'd have your cornea removed and a new one put in? As someone who's had many eye injuries in my life, let me be the first to say "ouch".

Actually, a cornea transplant isn't painful at all. You are asleep for the whole operation...Recovery on the other hand, while not painful to the eye, is a pain in the ass. I had to have such a transplant done due to a degenerative eye disease and I for one would love something like what this article is talking about. It would be much nicer to have the whole cornea replaced instead of just a section of it (which is what I had done, a small section about the size of my pupil was replaced.)

Puns

[HForN]

"The artificial cornea has passed clinical trials and is ready to see expanded use in patients this year. .."
I see what you did there.

Something important to remember

[erroneus]

I read through the whole article until I got near the end. It was only then that I realized that while the article said "cornea" I kept thinking "retina" for some unknown reason. In any case, an artificial cornea is a terrific breakthrough. People who use laser eye surgery to correct their vision can only do so a limited number of times. After that, a cornea would need to be replaced. Ideally, a replacement cornea would be able to correct vision without further adjustments.

More interestingly, an artificial cornea can do things to improve the health of the eye. For example, an artificial cornea could be made to block UV rays or even be polarized. I'm still waiting for telescopic vision corneas but I doubt that will happen. But the idea of having built-in sunglasses is interesting to me... not that I would have it done unless it were necessary to replace my cornea anyway...

Re:Something important to remember

[Anonymous Coward]

even be polarized

Yes, I'd love to see people standing with their heads at 90 degrees just to be able to use certain ATMs.

Re:Something important to remember

[Abcd1234]

People who use laser eye surgery to correct their vision can only do so a limited number of times. After that, a cornea would need to be replaced. Ideally, a replacement cornea would be able to correct vision without further adjustments.

More importantly, there are a number of diseases related to the cornea that ultimately necessitate a corneal transplant. Technology like this would obviate the need for tissue donation, which is a huge step for people suffering from such illnesses.

Re:Something important to remember

[Rigrig]

You could polarize the eyes differently, so you don't need glasses for 3D movies anymore.

Re:Something important to remember

[erroneus]

Wow. Imagine seeing 3D in real life! That would be just awesome!

Re:Something important to remember

[Abcd1234]

Honestly, with this first being performed in 1905 and being the single most common transplant surgery done in the world, I expected that in any industrialized nation there was an ample supply of donor tissue.

It's not so much an issue with tissue availability as it is issues with compatibility, rejection, etc. If you can make an equally capable, synthetic cornea, you can do away with all that, and that strikes me as a substantial win (though, at least at the outset, probably not a win on cost).

I mean, I'm assuming this technology was developed for *some* reason. :)

Re:Something important to remember

[CharlyFoxtrot]

In diseases like keratoconus, a degenerative eye disorder, there are cases in which even transplanted corneas degenerate again in time. A synthetic obviously wouldn't have this problem. I suppose it could also be custom made to the eye making for a better fit than organic parts sliced off of a corpse which are bound to be imperfect. Corneal transplants are rejected in keratoconus cases in roughly about 10% of cases and people who have rejected one graft seem more predisposed to reject following grafts as well. Those people would also be helped by this procedure.
As someone who has (relatively mild at the moment) keratoconus I certainly welcome this news.

Re:Having a new cornea put in?

[Abcd1234]

So you'd have your cornea removed and a new one put in?

Well, given the first corneal transplant was done in *1905*, and was one of the first organ transplants ever performed, yes, that's exactly what would happen.

Re:FINALLY! A solution to my pain...

[vandelais]

Are you the butterfly ballot election guy from Florida's recount? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sHB-X1i5MOU/SKIH1_P7gCI/AAAAAAAAAWY/b7t-bPpashA/s400/florida_hanging_chad_recount.jpg And you thought you faded into obscurity.