National Taiwan University researchers have developed a biofunctional intraocular lens for cataract patients, which could be customized to patients’ physiology and health needs, while proactively preventing postoperative and lens-associated complications.
A team led by university chemical engineering professor Chen Hsien-yeh (陳賢燁) used poly-p-xylylenes, a polymer commonly used for coronary stents due to its high biocompatibility, to create the next-generation intraocular lens.
The new material is a better lens substitute over silicone or acrylic, which have been commonly used to produce artificial lenses, Chen said, adding that the team is able to fine-tune the curve of the lens, creating a multifocal lens according to different patients’ needs to improve near and distance vision simultaneously.
The lens also offers protection from UV radiation.
The lens reduced postoperative calcification through the intrinsic properties of poly-p-xylylenes, which can actively inhibit the growth of epithelial eye cells and the accumulation of proteins that could form a thin film over the lens, Chen said.
Twenty to 30 percent of cataract patients develop postoperative secondary cataracts, and they have to undergo an additional laser surgery to remove cells that grow on the lens.
The new intraocular lens could drastically reduce the occurrence of secondary cataracts, Chen said.
Cataracts are one of the most common eye diseases among elderly people, and there are more than 100,000 patients nationwide undergoing cataract surgeries every year, which generally involves removal of the cataractous lens and the implanting of an intraocular lens.
Current intraocular lenses are not customized for each patient, he said.
However, the team uses a chemical vapor deposition technique — in which vaporized materials decompose on a substrate to produce the desired deposit to make high quality and solid products — to create customizable artificial lenses, he said.
The researchers also encapsulated liquid droplets in the lens to produce varying wetting properties to provide a tunable effective focal length and a high refractive index, he said.
The team is to trial the lens on animals before conducting human trials.
They expect commercial products to be available in five to 10 years, he said, adding that the team is also trying to produce a multifunctional lens that could carry and release drugs.
The results of their research were published in an article, “Customizable Optical and Biofunctional Properties of a Medical Lens Based on Chemical Vapor Deposition Encapsulation of Liquids”, published in the academic journal Chemistry of Materials last month.
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