Eyeworld

N MAY 2019 | EYEWORLD | 27 rabbits so far, showing effective sealing, stro- mal regeneration, and re-epithelialization. "Our hope is that this biomaterial could fill in a major gap in technology available to treat corneal injuries," Reza Dana, MD, said in a press release statement. "We set out to create a material that is clear, strongly adhesive, and permits the cornea to not only close the defect, but also to regenerate. We wanted this material to allow the cells of the cornea to mesh with the adhesive and to regenerate over time to mimic something as close to the native cornea as possible." Antioxidant-rich foods could lower risk of age-related cataracts Foods high in antioxidants could lower one's risk of age-related cataracts, according to a re- port. 7 These foods include citrus fruits, carrots, tomatoes, and dark green vegetables. "Age-re- lated cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment among the elderly throughout the world, with unoperated cataracts contributing to 35 percent of all blindness," Ming Li, PhD, said in a press release statement. "Although cataract extraction surgery is an effective method to re- store vision, it will have cost society more than $5.7 billion by 2020." a news release from the university explained. "Most of the current MMP inhibitors used to treat this condition work by binding to the zinc ions within the MMPs," Kyung Jae Jeong, PhD, said in a press release statement. "However, once injected into the body, the MMP inhibi- tors travel through the blood stream and entire body and can cause severe side effects because they are binding with and deactivating the zinc ions in other tissue. Our hydrogel works entirely differently because it is localized, just in the eye, and deactivates MMPs by eliminating the zinc ions from the cornea. And since it would be a contact lens, if there were any issues, the patient would simply remove it." Light-activated adhesive gel could repair injuries without surgery Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear developed an adhesive, light-activated gel that seals corneal cuts or ulcers and encourages tis- sue regeneration, potentially reducing the need for surgical repair or even corneal transplanta- tions. 6 The bioadhesive, called GelCORE (gel for corneal regeneration), is naturally derived, made from a modified gelatin and "photoini- tiators," which the research paper says "can be photocrosslinked after a short-time exposure to visible light." The hydrogel is meant to mimic corneal properties in terms of stiffness and biocompatibility. The gel has been used in FACEBOOK EyeWorldMagazine TWITTER EyeWorldMag INSTAGRAM eyeworldmagazine eyeworld 24/7 ASCRS LIVE WATCH US AND SUBSCRIBE AT EYEWORLDLIVE.COM EXPERIENCE THE NEW EYEWORLD STUDIO

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