Blind Man Regains Sight After 10 Years Following World’s First Artificial Cornea Transplant

Losing your vision can be disorienting, and having to deal with it is a big-time challenge when living in today’s society. Blind people are just like anyone else, but with a hurdle of not realizing how visual the environment is. Thanks to the digital age, an artificial cornea implant has emerged as the savior. 

The artificial cornea implant is directly placed into the eyewall, and following a 1-hr surgery, Jamal Furani has been given a jackpot to see again for the first time in 10Years. The 78-Year-Old had lost his sight due to corneal disease. 

78-Year-Old Jamal Furani sees again for the first time in 10 years following a successful artificial cornea implant

Professor Irit Bahar, the head of the ophthalmology department at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, performed the first human trials of the CorNeat’s Kpop with ten patients – Furani included.

All of the patients had suffered corneal disease and according to Israel Haymon reports, none have experienced at least one failed cornea transplant. The first step of the procedure, which took less than an hour, featured dissect of the conjunctiva – described as a mucous membrane that covers the lines inside of the eyelids and front of the eye.

KPro is designed with biomimetic material that stimulates cellular proliferation, resulting in progressive tissue integrations

The corneal epithelium is then removed to lessen the prevalence of retro prosthetic membrane formation. The cornea center was equally marked by the surgeon, which permitted a stamp on the surface where the implant will sit. The implant was then laid over the eyeball’s open area and was secured by stitches and snap in a place. According to Daily Mail, incisions were made around the cornea, along with the stitching to attach the implant before the cornea was removed. 

The procedure took less than an hour, and the first step featured dissect of the conjunctiva

CorNeat explained that regeneration of the cells started, and then in weeks, the implant was permanently embedded in the patient’s eye. Accordingly, the layer of KPro is designed with biomimetic material that stimulates cellular proliferation, resulting in progressive tissue integrations. Nonetheless, corneal blindness results in vision loss. It affects an estimated two million people yearly and accounts for over five people of the total blind population worldwide. 

Incisions were made around the cornea, along with the stitching to attach the implant