Local experts breathe new life into eye surgery

Local medical experts have teamed with professors at Harvard University to jointly develop a biochemical oxygen platform to enhance the surgical effects of a serious eye disorder.

Keratoconus is an eye condition in which the cornea gets thinner and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape. It causes blurred vision and sensitivity to light and glare. It generally begins to affect people between the late teens and 30 years of age. The condition may progress slowly for 10 years or longer and has the risk of blindness. Keratoconus has become one of the major reasons for cornea transplants.

Corneal Cross-linking, or CXL is the main measure to slow or stop keratoconus from progressing, possibly preventing the need for a future cornea transplant. During the surgery, doctors use riboflavin through ultraviolet A (UVA) light to strengthen and reinforce the cornea.

However, the surgical outcome depends on oxygen density inside the cornea. Due to the use of UVA in the surgery, the oxygen density will drop quickly during the procedure. If not offering more oxygen, the surgery result will be greatly impacted.

To solve the problem, doctors from Fudan University's Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital developed a biocompatible graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) quantum dots (QDs)-based oxygen self-sufficient platform to solve the oxygen supply problem in the surgery.

The creative development has attracted worldwide attention, and the research was published by world-leading journal Nature Communications.

"This research leads us to suggest the potential application of g-C3N4 QDs in accelerated CXL for corneal diseases," said Dr Zhou Xingtao, president of the hospital and a leading scientist in the research. "It will offer a novel medicine choice and new treatment policy for keratoconus and other corneal disorders."