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Occidental College and the University of California, Irvine ophthalmologists are developing a futuristic alternative to LASIK that promises to correct your blurry vision without cutting, burning, or removing any eye tissue.

This novel process called electromechanical reshaping or EMR uses tiny electrical pulses and a special 3D printed contact mold to reshape eye tissues. By sending a very low electrical current through the custom platinum contact lens on the cornea, its molecular bonds loosen enough to permit a strategic tissue reshaping. Once the current is turned off, the cornea stiffens again and locks into the new form that better focuses images on the retina.

This technique successfully corrects the nearsightedness of rabbits eyes in about one minute. The rabbits’ corneal cells remain alive and healthy. Additional animal studies are currently underway to test the procedure for correction of farsightedness, astigmatism, and corneal clouding due to chemical damage. Much research lies ahead before it can undergo clinical trials.

Though the LASIK procedure has helped millions of people, it does permanently remove some corneal tissue and has sometimes leads to dry eyes, glare, halos, or other complications. This new approach might potentially preserve more of the eye’s natural strength while reducing cost and invasiveness.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#VisionCorrection #LASIK #EyeHealth #MedicalInnovation #FutureMedicine