Nanodrops to replace glasses?

[StormInTheSky]

Apparently Israeli scientists (researchers from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Bar-Ilan University) have invented nano-drops that repair poor vision, thus, replacing glasses. The plan is to have phone apps that will determine the patterns needed and do the refraction. Trials on pigs' corneas were successful, and trials in humans will be reported later this year.

What do you think of the study? And what do you think will happen to the profession of optometry?

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[kilegna]

I think optometry is a field that must evolve side by side with the fast rate of technology we are experiencing. I think this study is still in early stages and more interesting information is to come as you mentioned later this year. As far as the optometry as a profession, optometrist not only help patient with correcting visual problems but also check ocular health and can help treat and/or diagnose a wide range of disease.

 

[StormInTheSky]

I think optometry is a field that must evolve side by side with the fast rate of technology we are experiencing. I think this study is still in early stages and more interesting information is to come as you mentioned later this year. As far as the optometry as a profession, optometrist not only help patient with correcting visual problems but also check ocular health and can help treat and/or diagnose a wide range of disease.

This procedure would also take a lot of procedures away from ophthalmology, so it's interesting how both fields must co-evolve. I wonder what the AOA's goals are for expanding the field beyond primarily lenses...

 

[kilegna]

This procedure would also take a lot of procedures away from ophthalmology, so it's interesting how both fields must co-evolve. I wonder what the AOA's goals are for expanding the field beyond primarily lenses...

You are right this would change a lot of things on both sides (Optometry/Ophthalmology). We will see how things evolve.

 

[percyeye]

Well the way apparently this works is you get your refraction online (at this time it is impossible to do a stand along refraction online/through your phone), then you connect a laser (yes really) to an app on your phone that etches a pattern on your cornea. Then the drops go into the eyes changing the refractive index (supposedly). The testing has only been done on pigs eyes.

I will lose 0 seconds of sleep over this "technology."

 

[StormInTheSky]

Well the way apparently this works is you get your refraction online (at this time it is impossible to do a stand along refraction online/through your phone), then you connect a laser (yes really) to an app on your phone that etches a pattern on your cornea. Then the drops go into the eyes changing the refractive index (supposedly). The testing has only been done on pigs eyes.

I will lose 0 seconds of sleep over this "technology."

You know I was focusing on the nanodrops, I overlooked the fact that a refraction done over an app is highly unreliable. So this seems to be a very early plan that is idealistic in its vision. Maybe this could grow into something marketable or productive clinically, but it certainly has a few questions pending: are the drops safe for human eyes, will the drops be effective for human eyes, how long will the effectiveness last, will the appropriate technology be in place to take care of this procedure at home without medical supervision, what are the side effects of the drops, etc

 

[percyeye]

You know I was focusing on the nanodrops, I overlooked the fact that a refraction done over an app is highly unreliable. So this seems to be a very early plan that is idealistic in its vision. Maybe this could grow into something marketable or productive clinically, but it certainly has a few questions pending: are the drops safe for human eyes, will the drops be effective for human eyes, how long will the effectiveness last, will the appropriate technology be in place to take care of this procedure at home without medical supervision, what are the side effects of the drops, etc

The drops only work if you use an app to laser your eyes first. No way the FDA is allowing people at home to use DIY kits to laser marks into their eyes. So I don't really care about these miracle drops.

Again, I'm losing 0 seconds of sleep over it.

 

[Optogal]

I was going to reply to this last week, then decided I couldn't be bothered because it was so evidently problematic. Percyeye nailed it.

"Nanodrops" That Repair Corneas May Ultimately Replace Glasses
https://phys.org/news/2018-03-nano-drops-nearsightedness-farsightedness.html

For real. If this really was the start of something revolutionary, it would be published in Nature, or Science. "Solving" ametropia in a real practical way is honestly, something that wins a Nobel prize. Think about the short little piece that Watson/Crick wrote, that literally won them the award.

Now, I'm not trying to trash the potential of scientific developments, and potential isn't always something easy to deduce, but there are so many problems with this proposed technique, it's hard to know where to begin. They probably took pig eyes in vitro, put solution on them, zapped the solution, and the index changed. Presto, a solution to myopia! Things are a lot more complicated than that. What about blinking? What about astigmatism? What about the tear film prism? What about the fact that you swallow your tears, so that those nano particles end up in your digestive system in the long run. Do you want nanoparticles to build up in the cellular walls of your intestines? Cancer anyone? And do you want to keep reapplying tears in your eyes all day to keep that solution there? And how much will this cost? You know I can get you a lens blank for $1, tax included.

Like perc said, Zero seconds of lost sleep. This isn't the game changer.

 

[StormInTheSky]

They probably took pig eyes in vitro, put solution on them, zapped the solution, and the index changed.

That's exactly what they did! They did ex-vivo experiments on pigs, and up next they will try in-vivo on rabbits. Agree with all your points, interesting in idea but far-fetched and problematic in reality.