Blind Man Regains Sight With The Use of Synthetic Corneas

Thanks to the research led by the Israeli startup CorNeat, cornea related vision loss might soon be a thing of the past.

After a decade of blindness, the 78-year-old patient Jamal Furani, had his bandages removed to reveal two functioning corneas, making this the first case of regained vision using synthetic corneas. In an emotionally moving moment, Jamal was able to recognize family and read text upon removal of his bandages. In total, the operation lasted less than an hour and exceeded all expectations. Mr. Furani is just one of the 10 patients approved to undergo this procedure. Other trials are awaiting final approval before being conducted in surgery rooms across the globe.

Prior to this surgery, donor corneas were hard to come by with just one donor cornea for every 70 patients in need of it. Beyond that, the shelf life of the CorNeat Cornea is up to two years, compared to that of a donor cornea, which becomes unusable after just one week after harvesting.

Once implanted, the cornea fits into the eye wall and is meant to replace scarred or deformed corneas. The CorNeat cornea is made of a non-degrading porous material that integrates with live tissue by stimulating cell proliferation (cell growth and division) leading to the creation of tissue.

The company already has plans for a broader second trial later this year with the hopes of displacing the need for donor tissue shortly thereafter.