CorNeat’s artificial cornea integrates with the eyewall with no donor issue needed.
An artificial cornea has been successfully implanted in the eye of a 78-year-old man who lost his sight a decade ago, Israel Hayoom has reported. Developed by a company called CorNeat, the KPro is the first implant that can be integrated directly into the eyewall to replace scarred or deformed corneas with no donor tissue. Immediately after the surgery, the patient was able to recognize family members and read numbers on an eye chart.
The corona is the clear layer that covers and protects the front portion of the eye. It can degenerate or scar for various reasons, including diseases like pseudophakic bullous keratopathy, keratoconus, and trauma.
The company said that ten more patients are approved for trials in Israel. It plans to open two more this month in Canada, with six others in the approval process in France, the US, and the Netherlands. While the implant doesn’t contain any electronics, it could help more people than any robotic eye. “After years of hard work, seeing a colleague implant the CorNeat KPro with ease and witnessing a fellow human being regain his sight the following day was electrifying and emotionally moving, there were a lot of tears in the room,” said CorNeat Vision co-founder Dr. Gilad Litvin.
About the CorNeat KPro: The CorNeat KPro implant is designed to replace deformed, scarred, or opacified corneas and is expected to fully and immediately rehabilitate the vision of corneally blind patients following a relatively simple implantation procedure. The CorNeat KPro will transform global corneal therapy and provide, for the first time, a reliable and scalable synthetic substitute to the human cornea, significantly impacting the lives of millions of people with cornea-related visual impairments and blindness. Click HERE to view animated implantation.
About CorNeat Vision: CorNeat Vision is a clinical-stage, biomimetic implant technology company. CorNeat Vision’s platform is a 100% synthetic, non-degradable porous material, which mimics the microstructure of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) — the natural biological collagen mesh providing structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells. When implanted, this material stimulates cellular proliferation, leading to progressive tissue integration. This fully validated in-vivo platform enables the biomechanical integration of permanent implants with live tissue and does not trigger an adverse immune system response. Click HERE to learn more.