Scientists at Bar-Ilan University’s Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, in Tel Aviv, Israel, claim to have created some truly revolutionary eye-drops that can heal damaged corneas and improve vision.
Described as “a new concept for correcting refractory problems”, the nanodrops developed by ophthalmologist Dr. David Smadja and a team of scientists from Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Bar-Ilan University has so far been tested on pigs with damaged corneas. During a recent presentation, Dr. Smadja said that the eye-drops repaired the pigs’ corneas, producing improvements in both short-sightedness and long-sightedness.
Clinical testing on humans is scheduled to begin later this year, and researchers in charge of the project are confident that the nanoparticle solution could eliminate the need for eyeglasses. Dr. Smadja says that the nanodrops could not only revolutionize the ophthalmological and optometry treatments of patients with myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and other refractory conditions, but also replace multifocal lenses, allowing people to see objects from various distances.
It’s not clear how many of these nanodrops would be required to repair the cornea to the point where eyeglasses are no longer required, or, most importantly, how much the treatment would cost. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how the clinical trials on humans turn out.
Source: odditycentral.com