If the human eye has natural protections to filter UV rays and blue light, what happens when these natural barriers fail, due to pathologies or surgical interventions?
In Spain a solution has been found: a lens has been created that can compensate or enhance the function of the eye’s protective pigments. This gives hope back to those who have lost their natural ocular defense.
The scientist and professor Celia Sánchez-Ramos, through the Complutense University of Madrid UCM – Faculty of Optics and Optometry, has developed the therapeutic contact lens for pseudo-aphakic eyes and/or in the process of neurodegeneration.
What does it mean? These are lenses for people who no longer have the crystalline lens of the eye, because they have undergone cataract surgery. As well as for people who due to age have a degradation of the retinal structure (age-related macular degeneration AMD).
The therapeutic contact lens is yellow in color, and can be customized according to the visual and anatomical needs of each person, adjusting both the radii of curvature and diameters as well as the refractive power (corrective capacity) required by the patient. It consists of:
- A common contact lens that covers the iris area (colored area of the eye) and the pupil area (central area of the iris).
- A yellow pigmented filter that is applied to the lens. It is harmless to the eye and absorbs short wavelengths of light. It is made with a special ink that is mixed with a solution of monomers, which are substances that harden (polymerize) when heated.
It is a development born in Spain, internationally recognized in the United States, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico, Egypt and other countries, for its great positive impact on eye health and on the quality of life of thousands of patients.
Because when it comes to human development, innovation also bears a Spanish stamp.
