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Researchers have developed a gel sealant for the eyes after cataract surgery that offers a better way to seal corneal incisions that current methods, according to a study reported in the October 13 issue of Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The elastic, transparent gel sets so fast and adheres so surely to the eye's surface that researchers believe it may one day become the first and best choice for sealing corneal incisions.
The gel sets quickly and adheres surely to the eye’s surface to seal cataract surgery incisions, according to lead researcher Mark Grinstaff, associate professor of biomedical engineering and chemistry at Boston University.
Grinstaff said the gel is an improvement over current methods such as self-sealing, in which the open wound closes gradually over time, and suturing. Self-sealing carries the risk of infection as well as leakage of intraocular fluid, while infection, inflammation and the abnormal development of blood vessels can occur during suturing.
The researchers developed the gel using dendritic macromolecules and polyethylene glycol. When applied to corneal incisions, the gel sealed them in a few minutes, less than the time needed for suturing. The gel also developed a seal that was hard to breach even at pressures 12 times greater than those in the normal human eye.
The researchers said the physical barrier that the gel forms on the eye should help prevent infection and the ease with which the gel is applied should cause less trauma to the eye, especially when compared with suturing. Because the gel is transparent with a refractive index similar to that of the human cornea, it will also not interfere with light reaching the retina.
"We are excited about these results since there is significant clinical interest for an alternative to sutures in the repair of ophthalmic wounds created during surgical procedures, trauma or disease," said Grinstaff.
Source: Medical Week staff, week of October 9, 2004
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