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CATARATA: A non-invasive technology to help diagnosing cataract


by IT on 18-01-2017
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IT researchers are part of a multidisciplinary team that has developed a medical device prototype that can help to detect cataracts at a very early stage, through a non-invasive process.

A Cataract manifests by the clouding of the cornea jeopardizing a clear vision. Although cataracts can be surgically removed in a secure way, currently, a puncture is made to remove a sample of this material during surgery in order to determine its hardness. With the non-invasive technology developed by Fernando Perdigão, Marco Gomes and João Amaro (all from IT in Coimbra), together with Jaime dos Santos, Miguel Caixinha and Mário Santos (all from DEEC in Coimbra), it is possible to obtain the same information, at any stage during surgery. Through the use of high-frequency ultra-sounds, this prototype is able to detect when and where protein aggregation and precipitation start, as well as detecting the accumulation of fibers on the eye lens.

As people in the world live longer, the number of people with cataract is anticipated to grow. According to the latest assessment by the World Health Organization – WHO, in 2010, cataracts were responsible for 51% of the world blindness, which represents about 20 million people. This number is expected to double by the year of 2020.

The device is under International patent registration and the research team is currently looking for a partnership in the industry of medical ophthalmic equipment interested in the prototype.

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