New Artificial Cornea Shows Promise
New Artificial Cornea Shows Promise
Researchers Developing Polymer-Gel Cornea That Would Replace Need for Human Donors
Harvard Medical School professor of ophthalmology Claes H. Dohlman, MD, PhD, has been conducting cornea research for more than 50 years, and he is considered a founder of modern corneal science.
The artificial cornea he developed has been used in the U.S. since 1992 in patients who are not candidates for donor transplants.
His artificial cornea cannot be used when corneal damage is caused by autoimmune disease, but Dohlman says it works very well in other patients.
"The search [for a safe and effective artificial cornea] goes as far back as the surgeons of the French Revolution, with mostly disastrous results," he tells WebMD. "It has only been within the last few decades that the elements have come together to make this a reality."
Dohlman agrees that it remains to be seen if the artificial cornea developed by the Stanford researchers will advance the search for a donor transplant replacement.
"This is a very good research team, but they still have a long way to go," he says.
New Artificial Cornea Shows Promise
Researchers Developing Polymer-Gel Cornea That Would Replace Need for Human Donors
Human Studies Needed
Harvard Medical School professor of ophthalmology Claes H. Dohlman, MD, PhD, has been conducting cornea research for more than 50 years, and he is considered a founder of modern corneal science.
The artificial cornea he developed has been used in the U.S. since 1992 in patients who are not candidates for donor transplants.
His artificial cornea cannot be used when corneal damage is caused by autoimmune disease, but Dohlman says it works very well in other patients.
"The search [for a safe and effective artificial cornea] goes as far back as the surgeons of the French Revolution, with mostly disastrous results," he tells WebMD. "It has only been within the last few decades that the elements have come together to make this a reality."
Dohlman agrees that it remains to be seen if the artificial cornea developed by the Stanford researchers will advance the search for a donor transplant replacement.
"This is a very good research team, but they still have a long way to go," he says.
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