Artificial cornea for end-stage patients

For those who have had multiple failures of corneal grafts, there may be finally some respite.

An artificial cornea or AlphaCor may be an answer, though it may not be for everyone. It is a biocompatible artificial cornea designed to replace scarred or diseased cornea tissue.

The artificial cornea is made of pHEMA or poly-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, which integrates with the body tissues and has minimal chances of rejection by the body, said Dr Rohit Shetty of Narayana Nethralaya. Done first in 1998, 15-20 centres across the world at present do the procedure, according to Shetty.

There is a demand for 4 lakh corneas in India annually, but only 10 per cent of the required number is available for graft. So, the only solution for many of the multiple graft failure cases may be artificial corneas. The artificial cornea is brought to India by Addition Technology.

"While the corneal graft costs Rs 8,000-10,000, the artificial corneal graft costs about $7,000. The artificial cornea is used only on end-stage patients," he said.

The cost could come down in future. The procedure was developed at the Lions Perth Eye Hospital. This procedure may be the only solution till corneas can be developed from stem cells.