Yesterday in the UK, a forty-year-old man became the first to receive a 3D printed prosthetic eye, a process that has been in its clinical testing stages for several years.
The procedure took place at Moorsfields Eye Hospital in London. Typically, a prosthetic eye of this nature would be made from acrylic and would take about two hours to fit a patient via. Molding their eye socket. Now, the procedure takes half the time and the outcome looks more realistic than the acrylic methods.
The 3D printed eye may be a cheaper and faster option for patients in the future, as it allows for less required man-power and potentially fewer materials. The creation of an acrylic eye takes hours, as it must be molded and painted by hand to match the patient’s particular eye color.
Should 3D printing prove to be a feasible alternative for prosthetics, experts may be able to create as many as 150 in a single hour with even greater levels of realism. The components of the eye are printed from powder using a Z-corp 510 machine and then are encased in resin. The product is medically safe, realistic looking, and less expensive to create with the appropriate machinery.
The team at Moorsfields anticipates this reducing waitlist times greatly.
The news comes in light of clinical trials exploring the potential of fully digital prosthetic eyes. The consultant ophthalmologist at Moorsfield stated, “We hope the forthcoming clinical trial will provide us with robust evidence about the value of this new technology, showing what a difference it makes for patients.”
Want to Learn More?
In addition to keeping you up to date on all things clinical trials, we also act as a digital CRO with a specific focus on patient recruitment and retention. We believe that patient recruitment and study startup (especially study design and study material) are heavily intertwined. After all, study design can make or break clinical trials, and the patient perspective should be considered when designing studies to ensure that patient targets are met not only on time but also on budget.
For Citruslabs, patient recruitment starts with study design and ends with trial completion. We recruit patients through our network of health apps, which enables you to connect with thousands of patients in real-time. The best part: these patients are already educated and prepared for the clinical trial process.
If you’d like to hear more about what we do, go here to read about what sets us apart, or here to read what our patients have to say about us.
Comentarios