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Scientists
from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , in collaboration with the Markoptic Foundation , developed a device that could prevent glaucoma from affecting more people, by controlling intraocular pressure .
It is a micro-valve , whose design was inspired by the internal fuel engine valve of an airplane.
For over six years, experts worked on perfecting the device. It consists of three elements: a valve body that controls the intraocular pressure by bringing the aqueous humor to the outside, a moving element and a spring that is responsible for executing the valve activation.
, when its resistance is overcome, it allows the aqueous humor to be expelled from the inside to the outside of the eye , eliminating excess through an internal conduit.
Gallardo Inzunza,
who participated in the project and who suffered glaucoma at an early age and lost his sight 13 years ago, talked about this new technology .
"It occurred to me that in order for this device to run a gasoline engine it could be used to expel the aqueous humor and control the pressure of the eye , through a constant liquid flow controlled by the same spring that has the intake valve of that gasoline engine," he said.
To bring his idea to life, the lawyer sought researchers from the UNAM's Faculty of Sciences , with support from the National Laboratory of Biomimetic Solutions for Diagnosis and Therapy (LaNSBioDyT).
The team is led Mathieu Hautefeuille and Diego Zamarrón Hernández , experts in charge of the Laboratory of Micro and Nanotechnology , who have been working on the project for a year.
Zamarrón Hernández explained that the device regulates the liquid outlet, but that the final design is one millimeter in size and it's as thick as an eyelash , so it is difficult to manufacture it with conventional methods.
LaNSBioDyT
has the proper equipment to manufacture the device with nanometric precision , therefore, experts from the Laboratory of Micro and Nanotechnology are working to replicate the eye physiology in humans and develop an artificial cornea model that allows them to simulate the characteristics of an eye affected by glaucoma , generate the pressure difference, test the valves in the model and identify problems that could arise.
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