Is blindness curable? This implant brings back 20:20 vision
An implant taken from the skin of pigs could cure blindness, according to new research published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Study participants who had surgery restored their vision and did not return visual impairment even after two years.
The procedure was so promising that the blind not only revived the vision but ended up with a 20:20 vision.
The protein implant is made of pork skin collagen which is similar to the human cornea (the most external layer of the eye).
More than 12 million people lost their eyesight to damaged corneas around the world. Experts said the new transplantation can be produced for the public and can last up to two years.
Researchers also think that this transplant can give poor countries more hope where cornea transplants are not usual.
The study was carried out on 14 blind people and 6 partially from India and Iran. They suffered from a disease called keratoconus in which the cornea becomes so thin as to lead to blindness.
The team also developed a less invasive procedure for the treatment of keratoconus.