I-Corps: Three-Demensional Printing of a Customizable Accommodating Intraocular Lens

白内障手术是美国最常见的手术，估计每年有300万例。手术包括摘除混浊的人工晶状体(IOL)，这是由于白内障的增长阻碍了患者的视力。虽然摘除晶状体的仪器已经取得了进步，但仍有很大的需求需要改进人工晶状体的更换，以便患者在手术后不再需要眼镜。通常情况下，由于患者之间的解剖差异以及患者对现有人工晶状体的反应不同，患者可能会患上老花眼或难以聚焦于近距离物体。近50%的白内障手术需要戴眼镜。这个i-Corps团队正在努力将一种利用平台三维(3D)打印技术制造的个性化人工晶状体商业化。这项正在申请专利的技术由著名的西北大学工程学院开发，可以让眼科医生为每个患者单独定制一种旨在生物模拟自然晶状体的替换镜片。这一重大改进有可能减少手术并发症，消除白内障手术后对眼镜的需求，提高患者满意度和生活质量。

Cataract surgery is the most common surgery in the US, with an estimated 3 million per annum. The surgery involves the removal of the cloudy intraocular lens (IOL) due to a cataract growth that prevents patients from seeing clearly. While there has been advancement in instruments that remove the lens, there remains a great demand to improve replacement IOLs such that patients no longer require spectacles after surgery. Often times, due to anatomical differences between patients and variability in the patient's reaction to existing IOLs, patients may suffer from presbyopia or difficulty to focus on close objects. Nearly 50% of cataract surgeries result in need for spectacles. This I-Corps team is working to commercialize a personalized intraocular lens manufactured utilizing platform three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Developed by prominent Northwestern University engineering faculty, this patent pending technology can allow ophthalmologists to individually tailor for each patient a replacement lens that has been designed to bio-mimic the natural lens. This significant improvement has the potential to yield fewer surgical complications and eliminate the need for glasses after cataract surgery, improving patient satisfaction and quality of life.