Approximately 1 in 350 people worldwide have keratoconus and similar eye diseases that impair vision when the cornea loses its normal shape.
Publishing in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Utah’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and John A. Moran Eye Center have made a discovery about keratoconus and other ectatic eye diseases that changes our understanding of them. The study reveals the abnormal corneal curvature found in these diseases is not merely a consequence of disease but an active driver of pathological progression.
“This discovery fundamentally reframes how we understand these eye diseases and how we could treat them,” says study lead author Jungkyu “Jay” Kim, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Doctors treat keratoconus and other conditions with special contact le
nses or implants to shape the cornea, or corneal transplants in severe cases. The study, conducted using a cornea-on-a-chip device developed by Kim, opens the door to therapies that could target how cells in the eye sense and respond to pressure.
“This opens possibilities for treating keratoconus with prescription eye drops rather than surgery,” explains John A. Moran Eye Center scientist David Krizaj, who has studied how cells in the eye sense pressure in the context of glaucoma. “If we can block pressure signaling early, we might prevent disease progression altogether.”
Read more on the John and Marcie Price College of Engineering Website