Adhesive Facilitates Improvement in Safety of LASIK Eye Surgery

Two studies carried out by Kansas State University biology graduate Stacy Littlechild have yielded an adhesive made from fibrinogen and riboflavin integrated with proteins using ultraviolet light. This new adhesive can reduce the risks associated with LASIK surgery.

LASIK or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis is a corrective eye surgery that employs laser to alter the shape of the eye’s outer layer known as cornea to eliminate the patients’ dependence on glasses or contact lenses. The procedure involves an incision in the cornea to flap it open to facilitate corneal tissue removal with laser. The flap is restored to original position at the end of the procedure and held in place on the corrected cornea by virtue of surface tension. The adhesive ability of the LASIK flap to the cornea is limited. It also does not heal completely. The post-surgery risk is that any blunt force trauma to the eye such as that from a tennis ball or vehicle airbag causes the flap to reopen and exposes the cornea to infection. The consequence is corneal transplantation.

Though the transplantation procedure is a routine surgery, patients can be spared the pain and the need to undergo another surgery if there is an effective method to glue the LASIK flap to the cornea. The first study by Littlechild aimed to test the adhesive strength by applying it on corneas removed from rabbits and dogfish sharks. The result of the study proved that the glue was effective. The second study was carried out to determine the molecular interactions that facilitate the adhesion. The results showed that the adhesion was due to covalent and zinc-facilitated non-covalent mechanisms. The substances used in the adhesive are not toxic and are biodegradable. They are already used in cataract surgeries. The adhesive has potential to glue other body tissues and hence can have other applications in the human body.