Electric vision correction technique helps cure nearsightedness without surgery

In the test, the lens was placed on a rabbit's cornea soaked in a saline solution, then a small voltage was applied. In just about a minute, the cornea bent to the shape of the lens.

US scientists are developing a non-surgical corneal reshaping technique that could replace LASIK by using electricity instead of lasers.

Tests on rabbits showed that after just a few minutes, the cornea was reshaped without the need for surgery.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people choose LASIK to improve their vision. The procedure uses a laser to remove a portion of the corneal tissue to reshape the curvature, allowing the eye to focus light more accurately. Although popular and considered safe, LASIK carries risks and can reduce the structural strength of the eye.

Professor Michael Hill (Occidental College, USA) commented: "LASIK is essentially still tissue cutting surgery, the only difference is that it uses laser."

Hill and his colleague Brian Wong (University of California, Irvine) have discovered a new approach called Electromechanical Reshaping (EMR).

This method takes advantage of the chemical properties of collagen-containing tissue, which are affected by changes in pH when an electric current is applied. When the pH drops, the bonds in the tissue loosen, allowing the structure to reshape. When the pH returns to normal, the tissue is “locked” in its new shape.

The team created a platinum “contact lens” that acts as an electrode to shape the cornea.

In the test, the lens was placed on a rabbit's cornea soaked in a saline solution, then a small voltage was applied. In just about a minute, the cornea bent to the shape of the lens.

Results on 12 rabbit corneas - 10 of which were treated to simulate nearsightedness - showed successful focus adjustment, while cells survived thanks to carefully controlled pH levels.

In addition, the method also shows potential to correct chemically opaque corneas, which can currently only be treated with corneal transplants.

While promising, the technology is still in its early stages. The next step will be to test it on live rabbits and determine its ability to correct other refractive errors such as farsightedness and astigmatism.

The research team admits there is still a “long way to go” before clinical application, but if successful, the EMR technique could be much cheaper than LASIK, less risky and even reversible./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ky-thuat-chinh-thi-luc-bang-dien-giup-chua-can-khong-can-phau-thuat-post1057140.vnp