An elderly man who lost his sight ten years ago suddenly regained his vision in Israel after an artificial cornea developed by an Israeli company was implanted in his eye.
As reported by Israel HaYom, the Israeli started CorNeat successfully transplanted an artificial cornea in the eye of a 78-year-old man. The CorNeat KPro implant replaces deformed, scarred or opaque corneas while fusing with the eye wall. “The device’s lens is designed to integrate with eye tissue using a patented synthetic, non-degradable nanofabric coat, which is placed under the conjunctiva,” Israel HaYom explained last July.
Professor Irit Bahar, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, performed the procedure, which enabled the patient to recognize his family and read words.
“The surgical procedure was simple and the result exceeded all our expectations,” Bahar said. “The moment we took off the bandages, it was emotional and meaningful. Moments like these are the fulfillment of our calling as doctors. We are proud to be at the forefront of this exciting and meaningful project that will undoubtedly impact the lives of millions of people. ”
Dr Gilad Litvin, the inventor of the artificial cornea, said: ‘To reveal this first implanted eye and to be in that room at that moment was surreal. After years of hard work, when he saw a colleague easily implant the CorNeat KPro and saw a fellow human being regain sight the next day, it was electrifying and emotionally moving, there were many tears in the room. ”
Last summer, CorNeat Vision received permission to conduct clinical trials of the artificial cornea on ten patients with corneal blindness. Litvin said at the time: “We expect it to enable millions of blind patients around the world, even in areas where no corneal practice or organ donation is taking place, to regain their sight.” Bahar added that the technology intended to be used could be the “key to turning global blindness.”
An article published last year by the American Academy of Opthamology states:
Corneal disorders are the fourth leading cause of blindness worldwide after cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. These corneal opacities include trachoma, infectious keratitis, xerophthalmia, the use of traditional eye medicine, and eye trauma. Unlike glaucoma and macular degeneration, corneal irregularities can sometimes be reversed or removed, restoring vision in the eye. Unfortunately, corneal transplantation is not always possible, practical, or successful, and as such, the mission to eliminate corneal blindness requires more than just increased access to transplantation. … It is estimated that 12.7 million people worldwide have moderate to severe vision loss (vision less than 20/60) that is prone to surgical correction and that they are actively awaiting a corneal transplant. In contrast, more than half of the world’s population has virtually no access to corneal transplantation, based on the limited eye bank services in many of the developing countries.
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