Inventing a gel that heals corneal lesions without surgery

US scientists have just studied and successfully developed a sticky gel that can heal the wound or ulcer on the cornea of ​​the eye, so that patients do not need surgery.

US scientists have just studied and successfully developed a sticky gel that can heal the wound or ulcer on the cornea of ​​the eye , so that patients do not need surgery.

The aforementioned gel contains chemicals that activate with light, which not only helps to heal wounds but also helps to repair the damaged part.

This type of gel is transparent, flexible, sticky when stored in a vial or syringe, but when exposed to blue light for a short time it will solidify to match the characteristics of the original cornea, and the The cornea cells will gradually develop to adhere to the sticky gel .

This gel not only works to heal wounds but also helps regenerate the damaged part.(Illustration).

In the experimental study, the scientists used a gel that covered 20% of the 3mm wound of the cornea, and illuminated it for 4 minutes for the gel to attach firmly to the wound.

A day later, the scientists observed that the surface of the eye was transparent, smooth, and free of inflammation.

Over time, the tissue was regenerated and new tissues were very different from the original.

According to Reza Dana, professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical University, co-chairing the study, scientists want this material to make corneal cells match with the adhesive and recreate in time. time to gradually form as much as possible the original corneal cells.

Scientists plan to begin a clinical trial to apply this technology to patients in about a year.

The work was published in Science Advances magazine on March 20.

Corneal injury is a common cause of vision impairment worldwide, with more than 1.5 million new cases of corneal blindness each year.

Some cases require corneal transplants, but may cause some postoperative complications including infection or rejection without the implanted cornea.