Biomimetic Artificial Corneas For The Visually Challenged

Damaged corneas lead to blindness in around 10 million people worldwide. A team at Stanford University have made an artificial cornea made from a hydrogel and stated that it would soon come to the market for commercial use. The material used for the artificial cornea is Duoptix™ that comprises two interwoven networks of hydrogels. The sturdy elastic material can swell to a water content of 80%. Other than its primary use to help visually challenger persons, the hydrogels could be further used to develop implantable contact lenses.