Researchers at Occidental College and the University of California, Irvine are developing an experimental technique that uses mild electrical pulses and a platinum “contact lens” to temporarily soften the cornea and reshape it without lasers or incisions.
Researchers are exploring an alternative to laser eye surgery that aims to reshape the cornea using electricity rather than tissue removal.
The experimental approach, known as electromechanical reshaping (EMR), uses a specially fabricated platinum lens shaped like a contact lens that acts as an electrode. In the experiments described by the American Chemical Society, rabbit eyeballs were placed in a saline solution designed to mimic tears, and an electrical potential was applied so the cornea could soften briefly and conform to the lens’ curvature.
In early testing, the team reported running the procedure on 12 rabbit eyeballs, including 10 treated to simulate correction of myopia (nearsightedness). The reshaping process took roughly about one minute, and the researchers said tissue cells remained alive because pH changes were carefully controlled during treatment. Imaging studies cited in the report—including optical coherence tomography, confocal microscopy and second-harmonic generation microscopy—suggested the cornea’s collagen structure remained largely intact, with no major loss of transparency or obvious damage in the early experiments.
The work remains preliminary and has primarily been tested in isolated rabbit eyes, not in living animals or humans. Researchers say further animal studies are needed to assess longer-term stability and safety before the approach could be considered for clinical use.
