Washington: Researchers have developed a potential alternative to LASIK surgery that corrects vision without the use of lasers. The new method, called electromechanical reshaping (EMR), uses electrical currents and a platinum contact lens to alter the shape of the cornea.
The technique was presented during a meeting of the American Chemical Society by a team led by Michael Hill, professor of chemistry at Occidental College. EMR relies on generating pH changes in collagen-containing tissues such as the cornea, making them temporarily malleable.
In experiments involving rabbits, the team used a platinum “contact lens” in the shape of a corrected cornea as a way to generate precise pH changes in the animal’s tissues.
Roughly a minute later, around the time it takes to perform LASIK, the rabbit’s cornea conformed to the contact lens — but with fewer steps and no incisions, according to the researchers.
The team successfully improved the shape of eyeballs, which were treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness, in ten out of 12 rabbit eyeballs.
According to the team, EMR could address conditions such as myopia and may also treat chemical-induced cloudiness, which usually requires a corneal transplant.
Brian Wong, professor at the University of California, Irvine, said the effect was discovered by accident while studying tissue modification. Hill noted that further detailed animal studies will be required before any clinical use, but added that the approach could prove more affordable and potentially reversible compared with current methods.
“There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic,” said Hill in the statement. “But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible.”
