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About Conductive Plastic
Which May Preserve Eyesight...!!
Italian researchers are developing a
sophisticated medical plastics compound that is sensitive to light
as a potential treatment for diseases of the retina such as
Macular Degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa.
There is a use of a single-layer
film of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) to trigger firing of neuron
receptors in animals’ eyes when it is exposed to light.
Polythiophenes become conductive when electrons are added or
through doping processes. The Italian invention is in effect
a photovoltaic device applied to the human eye.
Cones and rods in the retina
transform light into electrical signals that go to the brain. The
Italian researchers replaced diseased photoreceptors in mammalian
retinas with the polymer film.
The result obtained was fundamental
to proceed towards the construction of organic retina prosthesis
for human beings. The photoreceptor-degenerated retina tissue,
when in contact with the semiconductor layer, recovers its
photosensitivity up to levels comparable to those of daylight and
generates electrical signals in the optic nerve, which are very
similar to those generated by normal retinas.
However, some points such as its
effectiveness, biocompatibility and longterm duration are still
under research.
(Ref:
http://www.plasticstoday.com/articles/conductiveplastic-may-preserve-eyesight0422201301)
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