Fig. 13
From: Next-generation nanomaterials: advancing ocular anti-inflammatory drug therapy
Reproduced from Ref. [346] with permission from Springer Nature
A novel minimally invasive surgical technique for promoting lens regeneration. A A minimally invasive ocular surgery conducted on a rabbit eye, employing a capsulorhexis size of 1–1.5 mm. The procedure targets a 1.2 mm2 region surrounding the lens, with photographic evidence of lens regeneration observed via a slit-lamp microscope from day 1 to 4 weeks post-surgery. B A similar minimally invasive ocular operation was executed in a macaque model. Slit lamp microscopy demonstrates the regenerated lens tissue expanding from the periphery towards the lens center between 2–5 months post-surgery. Direct illumination reveals a translucent visual axis. C The minimally invasive procedure was also performed on infants with congenital cataracts. Lens regeneration was observed from week 1 to 5 months post-surgery, with almost all eyes (95.8%) attaining visual axis transparency. The surgical incision remained peripheral, and the anterior capsule wound scar tissue kept away from the visual axis was less than 1.5 mm in diameter. This novel surgical approach significantly mitigated visual axis opacity compared to the current standard surgical approach.