“The Whole Effect Was Discovered by Accident.”

Researchers have come up with a potentially groundbreaking — and entirely laser-free — alternative to LASIK, a popular surgical procedure that uses high-power lasers to reshape the cornea to correct vision problems.

During a meeting of the American Chemical Society, a team of scientists led by Occidental College chemistry professor Michael Hill showed off a new approach, called “electromechanical reshaping” (EMR), that uses small jolts of electricity and a molded platinum “contact lens” to reshape the cornea.

While we’re still many years away from being able to tell if the new technique will be a viable alternative to LASIK, there are reasons to be optimistic. LASIK surgery, which has been around for decades, can have rare but negative side effects including dry eyes or — in extreme cases — vision loss or infection.

EMR could greatly simplify the process without relying on invasive surgery, the scientists say, and potentially lower costs as well.

“The whole effect was discovered by accident,” said team member and University of California, Irvine, professor Brian Wong in a statement. “I was looking at living tissues as moldable materials and discovered this whole process of chemical modification.”

Research has shown that adjusting the pH of collagen-containing tissues in the body, such as corneas, allows them to become temporarily malleable.

Hill and his colleagues previously demonstrated that EMR can be used to alter the shape of rabbit ears, for example, and even scar tissues in pigs.

In experiments involving rabbits, the team used a platinum “contact lens” in the shape of a corrected cornea as a way to generate precise pH changes in the animal’s tissues.

Roughly a minute later, around the time it takes to perform LASIK, the rabbit’s cornea conformed to the contact lens — but with fewer steps and no incisions, according to the researchers.

The team successfully improved the shape of eyeballs, which were treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness, in ten out of 12 rabbit eyeballs.

The team suggests the new technique could reverse common reasons why patients choose to undergo LASIK, including nearsightedness.

It could even reverse chemical-caused cloudiness, which conventionally can only be treated through a complete corneal transplant.

Despite promising results — for all but two bunnies, at least — we’re still many years away from determining if EMR can become a viable alternative to LASIK.

In the statement, Wong explained that he and his colleagues are gearing up for a “long march through animal studies that are detailed and precise.”

The team is also struggling with finding the required scientific funding.

“There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic,” said Hill in the statement. “But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible.”

Click here to read full article on the Neoscope website.