Super glue helps 'bandage' injured eyeballs within minutes

The new gel is expected to "save" the sight of many injured people before they go to the nearest medical facility for treatment.

This fluid is like the soldiers fighting in the battlefield, they have to race against time to protect eyeballs, if delaying eye damage there will be no way to treat. According to a team at the University of Southern California, this liquid is easy to use. It not only helps to protect the eyes of patients on the way to the hospital but also helps reduce the total time of treatment.

Leading researcher Mark Humayun said: "The first rescuers in a major accident could use gels to treat wounds for patients - before they were treated by surgeons. The eye in the hospital is full and the gel can also be useful in rural areas - where there are not many eye centers near the accident site, even the new liquid can be used to temporary treatment of wound caused by guns ".

Super glue to cure wound in eyeball.(Photo: University of Southern California).

The US Department of Defense itself suggested the research team to develop this gel. USC researchers have modified a hydrogel called PNIPAM , which they previously studied to make 'speed' healing materials . Especially when in a normal state the gel is liquid but when heated, it becomes slightly hard. This feature is extremely useful for closing wounds and gels that are also easily removed when the wound is treated in the hospital.

"Because the initial transition temperature of the hydrogel is very close to the temperature of the human eye, we have to modify the properties to ensure that the gel will immediately become hardened when introduced into the human eye. Hydrogel type "This intelligence can provide a perfect treatment and protection. The study also promises to create the next generation of tissue adhesives ," said Niki Bayat, one of the researchers.

Besides gel, the team also developed a syringe to facilitate transportation. The device also has a very simple use, it cools the liquid before being injected into the wound using calcium ammonium nitrate crystals. Then just add water and the hydrogel is ready for use within 30 seconds.

Current methods of wound healing take at least 30 minutes to perform, while the hydrogel can do the work within 5 minutes before the patient is transferred to the hospital. This will save a valuable time in emergencies.

So far, gel has only been tested in rabbits and the first human clinical trial will be done in 2019. It will take a long time before this treatment can be applied in medicine. sacrifice. However, animal tests show that the material is capable of reducing eye pressure. This is a very important step in avoiding permanent damage to the eyeball. Moreover, after four weeks of using the material, the patient showed no signs of inflammation or infection.

With more than 2.5 million cases of eye damage in the United States each year, this treatment can help a large number of patients. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon asked scientists to develop an eye treatment. Because injuries related to this fragile division are rapidly increasing in wars.

John Whalen, an ophthalmologist, said: "If you look at historical data over the past few decades, you will see that the rate of eye injury in the war has increased from 10 to 15%. For this increase may come from changes in war, especially with the use of spontaneous explosive devices. "

The entire study was published in Science Translational Medicine.