A biomedical engineer at the University of Liverpool has been awarded funding to develop a new type of ophthalmic lens that can correct irregular astigmatism for keratoconus patients.
Dr Ahmed Abass has been awarded £15k by Fight for Sight and Keratoconus Group UK to support clinical validation of the technology with a view to develop it as a new clinical product.
Keratoconus cannot be corrected using current spectacle lens manufacturing techniques with patient dependent on contact lenses or, in serious cases, corneal transplants.
Dr Abass said: ‘We have already developed a proof of concept spectacle lens that can be used by kerataconic patients. This funding will be used to take forward the technology and to trial it in a clinical setting. This is an important next step and we hope the outcome of this project will be to take the technology forward as a clinical product, potentially leading to a major step forward in the current prescription system for patients.’
Dr Vito Romano, consultant ophthalmic surgeon, and Andrew Tompkin, head of optometry at St. Paul’s Eye Unit at Royal Liverpool University Hospital are also involved in the project.