An artificial cornea helped a blind man regain his sight

Israel Hyom quotes a 78-year-old man who regained his sight after being the first patient to receive a new type of implant with an artificial cornea Engadget. Developed by CorNeat, KPro was the first implant to be integrated directly into the eye wall to replace the cornea with complications without the need for tissue from a donor. As soon as the operation was completed, the patient was able to identify his family members and read the numbers on the eye chart.

Artificial corneal implants are already available for patients with corneal degeneration, but this is a last resort when an implant with a replacement or corneal rings does not work because the functions are complex.

However, insertion of Cornet transplant surgery is a relatively simple procedure that requires less intervention and “stimulates cell proliferation using a biological substance, which leads to a progressive tissue synthesis,” Cornet says.

The exact mechanism can be seen in the animation below, and the result is integrated into the entire eye wall of the device. “Total integration is achieved in a few weeks, and the device will be permanently in the patient’s eye,” says Cornet. This leads to improved eyesight and allows for “extraordinarily quick healing times” and a more natural look.

Cornet says 10 more patients have been approved for transplantation in Israel, two more are planned to be approved in Canada in the future, and 6 more in France, the United States and the Netherlands. Although there are no electronic components in the implant, it may help people more than the robotic eye. “After many years of work, it was an emotional moment to see a colleague who easily fits Capro and regains his sight the next day, there were a lot of tears in the room,” said Dr. Glad Litwin, co-founder of Cornet Vision.