An injectable nanocomposite gel for replacing the eye lens could eliminate the need for complicated cataract surgery, say Japanese and Danish researchers.
The nanocomposite fills the capsular bag left in the eye after the lens has been removed and sets into a gel at body temperature
Cataracts are caused by optical defects of the natural lens that develop with age and can lead to increasingly blurred vision and blindness. Currently, plastic lenses can be used to surgically replace the natural lens but they are not a perfect replacement, for example they tend to be monofocal, limiting the eye’s ability to focus outside a set range. They are also not a proper fit, which can cause problems such as misalignment.
Read the full article in Chemistry World
Organic–inorganic nanocomposite gels as an in situ gelation biomaterial for injectable accommodative intraocular lens
Masahiko Annaka, Kell Mortensen, Toyoaki Matsuura, Masaya Ito, Katsunori Nochioka and Nahoko Ogata
Soft Matter, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25534K
