A team of ophthalmologists led by the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany has developed an innovative method for 3D printing artificial eyeballs that allows for faster production of high-quality prosthetics. Research results published In the journal Nature Communications.
It is stated that the loss of the eyeball may occur due to injury or serious illness. Often after the enucleation procedure (removal of the eye), patients decide to replace the eyeball with an artificial analogue. But, according to scientists, sometimes such analogues can cause discomfort and do not meet aesthetic standards.
The new artificial eye technology is based on 3D printing, which uses a polymer similar to polymethyl methacrylate, or acrylic resin. This material is often used to make temporary dentures for long-term use due to its safety and resistance to breakage.
The process of making a prosthetic eye usually takes about eight hours, the researchers explained. Additionally, these artificial eye replacement procedures can be expensive. 3D printing makes production faster and cheaper.
The data used to program the 3D printer was obtained by the scientists during optical coherence tomography, a diagnostic study of eye structures. They then used computer modeling to accurately predict the size and shape of future samples before printing. According to the study’s authors, this method of producing artificial eyeballs is optimal because printing takes only six minutes. In addition, the biocompatibility of prostheses produced in this way is quite high.
Previously, scientists for the first time we managed to print A living brain in a 3D printer.
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Source: Gazeta
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