Lenses that do not require surgery – a unique method discovered by Australian scientists. The advantages of these scleral lenses are in special cover cells with healing
properties. They make the new lenses in a few hours and are compatible with
various injuries, including chronic ones.
REVOUTIONARY CONTACT LENSES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TRAUMA
Before describing these new contact lenses, let’s talk about how things were before. More precisely, though, it isn’t really “before”. These things are still on the market.
To heal cuts and other wounds, doctors apply a bandage. But how does this relate to the eye?
When the cornea is damaged, they use a bioplastic that consists of amniotic fluid.
Such a “bandage” requires surgery, though, because it attaches to the conjunctiva.
Australian scientists discovered a better method. They’ve presented a contact lens that does the same thing but does not require surgery.
Aside from that, the usual material often lacks donor material, transfer, etc. All of this is expensive. And the result, needless to say, isn’t always brilliant.
The new lenses consist of cells with healing properties.
Scientists covered scleral lenses with these cells. It’s like a prosthesis for the ocular surface and placed on the sclera. That is, they are not applied directly to the eyeball; between the bandage and cornea there is a layer of tear moisture.
They make the new lenses in a few hours and are compatible with various injuries, including chronic ones. Corneal ulcers, for example.
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CONTACT LENSES FOR THE HOME MEDICINE CABINET?
Such lenses can be used in the very early stages of treatment for injuries from burns, chemicals, and the like. In the near future, you might include these lenses in first-aid kits.
Moreover, they seem to be better than stem cells, which we don’t know as much about as we’d like.
We’ve got three more years, at best. There will be clinical trials and other stages, so it’s a long way from invention to patient.
In general, there’s a boom in the contact lens industry. There are lenses for colorblind people, recording video, “chameleons”, and more. More about that later. Let’s also not forget that ordinary contacts have side effects and aren’t appropriate for everyone. Universally perfect things do not exist. Read up on the details here.
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Text: Vadim Avrukin
Translation: Richard Crenwelge
Photo by Caju Gomes on Unsplash
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