Eye Blink
More happens in the blink of an eye than you might think. As the lid flashes down and up, it hydrates and protects your eyes, and creates a unique physiological environment. It’s hard for researchers studying the eyes to create comparable situations to run tests on in the lab. A new approach has created an artificial eye structure complete with cells from the eye’s outer layers, the cornea (dyed yellow) and conjunctiva (red), tear ducts (blue), and a blinking eyelid (blue gelatin). Although lacking some of the eye’s natural cellular complexity, closely matching the physical environment makes this device a useful testing ground. It’s already been used to investigate the effects of a new treatment for dry-eye syndrome without risking human or animal harm, raising hopes that by providing a testing ground the eye will help improve the outlook on everything from contact lenses to disease modelling.
Written by Anthony Lewis
- WATCH THE VIDEO on NPG Press YouTube channel by Jeongyun Seo and Dongeun Huh at the University of Pennsylvania
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Still and video copyright belong to Jeongyun Seo and Dongeun Huh at the University of Pennsylvania
- Research published in Nature Medicine, August 2019
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