In a pilot study, the implant restored vision to 20 people with diseased corneas, most of whom were blind prior to receiving the implant.
An estimated 12.7 million people around the world are blind due to damaged or diseased corneas. The cornea is the outermost transparent layer of the eye. Their only way of regaining vision is to receive a transplanted cornea from a human donor, but just one in 70 patients receives a cornea transplant.
The promising results bring hope to those suffering from corneal blindness and low vision by providing a bioengineered implant as an alternative to the transplantation of donated human corneas, which are scarce in countries where the need for them is greatest.
Image credit: THOR BALKHED/LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY
“The results show that it is possible to develop...