Healing of corneal lesions with contact devices

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of implanting a contact device into the eye for patients with corneal lesions. This new technique can help millions of people around the world retain or even regain sight. The study was published in Acta Biomaterialia.

Blindness due to corneal damage is a common disease in the world. Symptoms of corneal damage and dry eyes may include pain, lacrimation, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and a feeling of entanglement in the eye. Usually, treatments for corneal blindness are corneal transplants or transplantation of the stem cells into the eye using a donated membrane as a temporary medium to transfer these cells into the eye. But for some patients, treatment may fail after a few years because the eye does not retain the cells to heal the cornea.

Heal corneal damage by contact device

By using a variety of sophisticated techniques that mimic eye features, the researchers created a disc with biodegradable materials fixed on the cornea. This disc - is a very thin membrane - loaded with stem cells and then the cells multiply, allowing the body to naturally heal the eye. The main feature of this new disc is that it contains small bags to contain and protect stem cells, to keep them in the eye and can also be grouped together. The material in the center of the disk is thinner than the ring, so it will decompose faster to allow stem cells to proliferate on the surface of the eye to restore the cornea.

The researchers said that one advantage of the disk is that it decomposes itself and is made from a material made of sewing thread so it will not cause any problems to the body. Dr Frederick Claeyssens, a professor of biological materials at the University of Sheffield, said that using these discs is not only better than current treatments but also cheaper.

Laboratory tests show that the supporting disc helps cells grow very well. Sheffield scientists are working with researchers at the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad so that early clinical trials can be deployed in India.

Reference: Daily Mail