University of Colorado Bioresearchers Work to Make Cataract Surgery Safer and More Efficient

Nearly everyone in the world knows someone who has cataracts or will get cataracts themselves sometime in life. Cataracts, the most common cause of vision impairment, cloud the lens inside the eye and make it difficult to see.  Although surgery can be performed to replace the clouded lens in the eye, it is both costly and challenging for surgeons to perform. (Image of eye by 8thstar via Wikimedia Commons). 

Researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, along with the company Mile High Ophthalmics, LLC have created a new device that will make cataract surgery easier and safer. 

The new ring-shaped device will make it easier for surgeons to create a perfectly round, perfectly placed opening in the cataract during surgery, which is difficult to do with current methods. Current techniques require surgeons to remove a circular section around the lens of the eye and replace it with an artificial implant. Performing both of these steps is challenging for surgeons and can lead to blindness if infections or retinal detachment occur.

The newly created device, named VERUS, is designed to adhere to the capsule of the eye and will stay in place during surgery, making it easier and safer for surgeons to perform the necessary surgery without worrying about not cutting in the proper circle, or cutting in the wrong place. 

"The VERUS device is cost effective and can be seamlessly incorporated into standard cataract surgery without adding extensive time or a long learning curve," explained Malik Kahook, MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "The resulting opening of the capsule when using the VERUS device is round and centered as desired by the surgeon, and promises to enhance outcomes and improve safety.” 

The University of Colorado. (Image courtesy of Biotechnology Calendar, Inc.) 

The University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus is currently receiving nearly $200 million in active life science NIH funding to support research projects. This funding is being used in many ways, including to help enhance research and university facilities:

• NIH granted a $48.4 million five-year contract to the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, a collaborative organization between CU Anschutz, six hospitals, and local communities, to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into improved patient care and public health.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded an $11 million grant to study and improve mothers’ nutrition before pregnancy. The five-year grant supports research on maternal malnutrition in poor communities and its effects on growth retardation of offspring.

Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. produces life science table top trade shows at more than 60 institutions around the U.S, and will be making an appearance at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus in June, 2015. These BioResearch Product Faire™ Events give lab suppliers the chance to meet face-to-face with active and interested researchers directly on campus. Lab suppliers will be able to demonstrate lab supplies to researchers and find numerous high quality leads. 

The 17th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at the University of Colorado, Boulder will be held on June 17, 2015. 

The 6th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will be held on June 18, 2015. 

To learn more about participating in either of the upcoming University of Colorado events, visit the links below: 

Researchers at the University of Colorado are invited to visit the links below to pre-register for ab upcoming show:

Visit the trade show calendar here to find more upcoming events in your marketplace.