Introduction
A patient with corneal damage due to a congenital deformity, genetic disease or exposure to a corrosive chemical substance is at risk of blindness. One of the available solutions to correct these defects is to transplant a cornea from a donor. In this process, the central part of the natural cornea is removed in a circular manner and then the new cornea is placed and fixed in its place with surgical stitches. The problem here is that the number of donors is much smaller compared to the huge number of people who suffer from corneal blindness, which is estimated in the millions. This has resulted in an endless queue of blind people waiting for corneal donors, who are extremely rare. However, a new and promising hope has appeared on the horizon, and in time it will end the waiting lists and queues for those who suffer from corneal blindness. The promising hope is to try to produce an artificial cornea.
*The artificial cornea and the hope of restoring sight.
- In order to achieve the desired hope for millions of blind people worldwide due to the cornea and enable them to regain their ability to see again, there are serious attempts by scientists to invent an artificial cornea that will be an alternative to the natural cornea and will perform the same functions.
* Stages of development of the artificial cornea and the extent to which it can be safely used on the human eye.
- We do not deny that each stage of the development of the artificial cornea will be accompanied by some deficiency in performance or a defect in the shape or material from which the artificial cornea is made, and this is what scientists realize, and they will naturally avoid the mistakes of each stage prior to a new stage that they pass through on their way to reach the ideal artificial cornea for the human eye. For example, in certain stages, the problem of tissue rejection of the artificial cornea was exposed. Also, in another stage, scientists were exposed to the problem of inflammation and infection of the eye due to the fixation of the artificial cornea by surgical sutures. Another problem that scientists encountered at a later stage was the large size of the artificial cornea, which made it difficult to sew it in the required places and increased the possibility of the surgical wound opening and causing contamination and inflammation.
- There is another stage in the development of the artificial cornea, but it is different from its predecessors, as in this stage all the mistakes of the previous stages were avoided, as in this stage the artificial cornea was made of a polymer material coated with protein, as the polymer repels water, so it does not absorb the secretions of the tear duct that can cause swelling, and it also prevents the growth of cells, so the natural tissue cannot cover it and block vision through it.
- This represents an advantage at the transplant center, which needs to remain clear. But it represents a defect at the edges that need to be connected to the remaining corneal tissue. Therefore, the outer edge of the cornea is covered with a protein that works to attract the current corneal cells. This special layer allows the artificial cornea to bond tightly to the natural corneal cells.
- Although there is still a need to fix the new cornea in place by surgically suturing it, this strong bond helps prevent the type of infection that causes problems in previous artificial corneas.
- This protein has also been tested for its ability to withstand the heat sterilization process that the device must go through to meet medical safety requirements.
- Because the polymer prevents cell growth, the artificial cornea can be made small enough to be sutured directly to the eye. As a result, the donor tissue layer becomes unnecessary.
Conclusion
- We cannot deny that the artificial cornea has revolutionized the world of ophthalmology and eye surgery worldwide and the extent of its great contributions to alleviating the suffering of millions of blind people who used to stand in endless queues waiting for cornea donors, who are very few.
We are also confident that in the near future, more advanced and safer types of artificial corneas will appear for the eyes than before, due to the continuous development they are witnessing.
تعليقات
إرسال تعليق