A team at Purdue have built a new eye implant using magnets for a more reliable and safe implant. The implant cleans itself using microactuators when exposed to a magnetic field. (Photo via Purdue)
Glaucoma is a common, yet serious, condition that occurs when the eye’s drainage channels are blocked. This causes humor fluid to collect within the eye faster than it can drain out, increasing intraocular pressure, which can damage the optic nerve and cause blindness. Luckily, it’s a treatable condition with various implants used to relieve the pressure by helping to drain fluid from the eye. Unfortunately, most of those devices stop working within five years. However, a new implant developed by a Purdue team may be a new solution.
The team has turned to magnetism for the new implant. They recently developed a smart implant that cleans itself using microactuators that vibrate when exposed to a magnetic field. The vibrations loosen any biomaterials that have built up in the tube and allows them to be flushed out along with the fluid. The magnetic field can be introduced outside the body at any time.
“We created a new drainage device that combats this problem of buildup by using advances in microtechnology,” said Hyowon “Hugh” Lee, an assistant professor in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and a researcher at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, who led the research team. “It is able to clear itself of harmful bio-buildup. This is a giant leap toward personalized medicine.”
Not only is the device more reliable and safe, but it’s customizable. The implant can change its resistance flow allowing it to be modified to specific patients with varying degrees of pressure build-up, unlike most implants currently on the market. The implant can also be updated as glaucoma changes over time.
It sounds like a breakthrough for glaucoma treatments, but there’s no word on when the device will be used in the field. Currently, the team is aiming to patent the technology and looking for companies willing to license it. Once this happens, it could become a new permanent treatment for glaucoma patients rather than relying on temporary solutions.
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