The Jerusalem Post reports that doctors at the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot successfully implanted an innovative EndoArt artificial cornea in a patient whose past three operations failed. Last week’s successful procedure gives hope to the thousands of patients facing loss of vision who are no longer viable for traditional donor transplants, through Israeli innovation.
Developed by Israeli medical device company EyeYon Medical, the EndoArt implant, invented by cornea surgeon Dr. Ofer Daphna, has been designed to replace the function of the corneal endothelium.
By restoring this crucial layer, the implant can return transparency to a damaged cornea without requiring human donor tissue.
The introduction of EndoArt addresses a critical global shortage, where more than 13 million people worldwide are currently waiting for a cornea transplant.
Kaplan Medical Center Ophthalmology Head Prof. Arie Marcovich calls the EndoArt implant and procedure a genuine breakthrough, as waiting lists for corneal transplants in Israel alone extend for months and even years. This procedure itself is also shorter and more precise compared to the standard transplant operation. Hundreds of successful implantations using EndoArt in other countries have also reported improvements with their patients. EyeYon Medical CEO Nahum Ferera says that it’s an emotional moment for the team to see Israeli technology transforming lives.
With the latest in heart surgeries and spinal cord procedures, Israel has proven yet again that it’s the epicenter of science and innovation in the Middle East, in times of war and in times of peace.