New Therapeutic Contact Lenses Could Heal Eye Injuries

Researchers are studying ways to treat eye injuries, which can accelerate the healing process of severe corneal wounds.

Ocular lesions are difficult to treat and can lead to serious complications, sometimes with very little chance of recovery. Now, teams at the University of Queensland have created a contact lens that acts as a dressing for your eyes.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, at work alone, people live more than 20,000 workplace injuries each year costing more than 300 million dollars a year of lost productivity. Nevertheless, in general, according to the American Association for Ophthalmology and Strabismus, close to 50% injuries occur during sports and recreational activities.

Cellular eye healing

Damien Harkin, research director at the QUT Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, in collaboration with the Queensland Eye Institute, has developed eye contact with a range of "wound healing factors". The ocular bandage consists of cells with special healing properties.

Known as limbal mesenchymal stromal cells (L-MSC), these cells that are recovered after routine corneal transplants have the ability to bring immediate benefits to the surface of the injured eye. According to the researchers, upon arrival at the hospital with your injury, you could have the contact lens in just a few hours or, if you had a chronic injury to the eye, use the lens to treat it.

As Professor Harkin said:Our therapy could provide welcome relief to patients with chronic conditions such as corneal ulcers and persistent surface defects that have not responded to conventional therapies, "he continues." The new treatment could also become useful in the context of first-line treatment. in the management of acute ocular lesions in the workplace or at home resulting from exposure to caustic chemicals, burning liquids or excessive heat. "

Vision

The biggest challenge currently for Harkin and his team is finding ways to collect and deliver limbal mesenchymal stromal cells for contact lenses. At present, the bandages treatment is prepared using an amniotic membrane derived from a human placenta. A process that is both expensive and inefficient.

Harkin hopes to immediately have a "well-characterized and tested L-MSC cell bank" to make contact lenses a cost-effective solution for clinics.

Although research looks promising, there is still a long way to go before treatments can be released to the public. Nevertheless, these bandaging treatments could be available in a few years.