This is a real step forward for visually impaired and blind people! Researchers at Linköping University (Sweden) have managed to restore sight to 20 visually impaired people with an artificial corneal transplant. This work was published in mid-August 2022 in the specialized journal Nature Biotechnology.
Swedish and Iranian researchers have designed artificial corneas using pig skin cells, an inexpensive and readily available material: “we have gone to great lengths to ensure that our invention would be widely available and affordable to everyone“they explained.
Simple and quick surgery
These artificial corneas were then implanted in 20 volunteers suffering from keratoconus, an eye disease which corresponds to a deformation of the cornea; due to intraocular pressure, it takes on a conical or pyramidal shape. All volunteers suffered from visual impairment; 14 of them were even blind.
To transplant these artificial corneas, “the surgeon does not need to remove the patient’s own tissuesay the researchers. Instead, a small incision is made, through which the implant is inserted into the existing cornea.”
Verdict? Two years after this surgery, all the volunteers (including the blind) saw an improvement in their sight; 3 blind people even regained full vision. No complications were reported.
