Washington, D.C. [US], August 20 (ANI/WAM): Researchers have developed a potential alternative to LASIK surgery that corrects vision without the use of lasers. The new method, called electromechanical reshaping (EMR), uses electrical currents and a platinum contact lens to alter the shape of the cornea.
The technique was presented during a meeting of the American Chemical Society by a team led by Michael Hill, professor of chemistry at Occidental College. EMR relies on generating pH changes in collagen-containing tissues such as the cornea, making them temporarily malleable.
In experiments involving rabbits, the team used a platinum “contact lens” shaped like a corrected cornea to generate precise pH changes in the animal’s tissues. Within about a minute—the same time it typically takes to perform LASIK—the rabbit’s cornea conformed to the contact lens, but with fewer steps and no incisions, according to the researchers.
The team reported successful improvements in the shape of eyeballs treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness, in 10 out of 12 cases. They added that EMR could potentially address conditions such as myopia and treat chemical-induced cloudiness, which usually requires a corneal transplant.
Brian Wong, professor at the University of California, Irvine, said the effect was first discovered by accident while studying tissue modification. Hill emphasized that further detailed animal studies will be required before any clinical application but noted the approach could be more affordable and potentially reversible compared with current methods.
“There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic,” Hill said. “But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible.” (ANI/WAM)
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