Novel liquid adhesive made from a protein found in human tissue effective in sealing corneal wounds

A liquid adhesive made from a protein found in human tissue is effective in sealing corneal wounds and may even be better than stitches, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study.

In animal studies, researchers discovered that modified chondroitin sulfate aldehyde was better than standard sutures at preventing rupture of experimental surgical cuts in the cornea.

"The results of our experiments showed that sutured eyes were less able to resist pressure than eyes sealed with the liquid adhesive, and none of the glued eyes leaked when subjected to the maximum pressure allowed by our experimental set up," said Johann Reyes, M.D., Wilmer research fellow and author of the study. "Surgical glues have been used, but the search for the ideal makeup of these adhesives for use in the eye still continues," he said.

Current methods for closing wounds in the cornea (the most superficial and transparent layer of the eye) generally involve sutures. According to the researchers, although results obtained with the suture have been proven to be safe over time, certain complications are possible including local inflammation, death of tissue near the sutures, infection and sensation of a foreign body in the eye. Various tissue adhesives have been studied previously, and those made from reabsorbable material eliminate the hassle of removing sutures.