A group of scientists from Sweden and Canada has successfully developed a kind of bioartificial cornea for implanting onto the eyes of people with damaged natural cornea. This new finding will help restore sight or part of the sight for those patients, with the help of eyeglasses.
Ten people in Sweden who received a bioartificial cornea were able to regrow their own corneal cells and restore their vision. Corneas are naturally made of collagen, so researchers grew it in yeast and molded it into a lens shape so it would act as a scaffolding. The damaged layer was removed and the bioartificial one implanted. Not only did a line of healthy corneal cells grew in the implanted collagen, but corneal nerves regrew and tear production went back to normal in these individuals. No one rejected the transplant. Patients were followed for two years and six had improved vision with eyeglasses and two were stable. One challenge for future research is to address the 90 percent of corneal problems that are full thickness and not just in the upper layer as they were in this study.
Optical News
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