An elderly man who lost his vision ten years ago suddenly regained his sight in Israel after an artificial cornea developed by an Israeli company was implanted in his eye.
As reported by Israel HaYom, Israel-based startup CorNeat has successfully transplanted an artificial cornea into the eye of a 78-year-old man. The CorNeat KPro implant replaces deformed, scarred or opaque corneas as it fuses with the eye wall. “The lens of the device was designed to integrate with the eye tissue using a patented synthetic nondegradable nanofabric skirt, which is placed under the conjunctiva,” explained Israel HaYom last July.
Professor Irit Bahar, head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, conducted the procedure, which left the patient able to recognize his family and read words.
“The surgical procedure was straightforward and the result exceeded all of our expectations,” said Bahar. “The moment when we took off the bandages was exciting and significant. Times 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. “
Dr. Gilad Litvin, the inventor of the artificial cornea, said: “Revealing this first implanted eye and being in that room, at that moment, was surreal. After years of hard work, watching a colleague easily deploy CorNeat KPro and witnessing another human being recover his vision the next day was electrifying and emotionally moving, there were many tears in the room. “
Last summer, CorNeat Vision received approval to conduct clinical tests of the artificial cornea in 10 patients with corneal blindness. Litvin said at the time: “We hope that this will allow millions of blind patients worldwide, even in areas where there is no corneal practice or organ donation culture, to regain vision.” Bahar added that the technology to be used could be “the key to turning the tide against global blindness”.
An article published by the American Academy of Opthamology last July stated:
Corneal opacities are the fourth leading cause of blindness worldwide, after cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Among these corneal opacities, the main causes include trachoma, infectious keratitis, xerophthalmia, use of traditional eye medications and eye trauma. Unlike glaucoma and macular degeneration, corneal opacities can sometimes be reversed or removed, restoring vision to 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 increasing access to the transplant. … It is estimated that 12.7 million people worldwide have moderate to severe vision loss (vision less than 20/60) amenable to surgical correction and are actively awaiting a corneal transplant. In contrast, based on the limited eye bank facilities in much of the developing world, more than half of the world’s population has virtually no access to corneal transplantation.
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