Individualized Ophthalmic Exoplants by Means of Reverse Engineering and 3D Printing Technologies for Treating High Myopia Complications with Macular Buckles

摘要

Myopic macular foveoschisis maculopathy is an eye disease that is treated, in most cases, with surgical intervention, in which a macular buckle is applied to restore eye anatomy and functionality. A macular buckle is a type of exoplant that comes in various designs and sizes. Often, they are difficult to apply or they do not fit properly in the eye geometry since they have a generic form. In this work, the effort to develop the most suitable tailor-made macular buckle for each individual patient for treating myopic traction maculopathy is studied. Pattern recognition techniques are applied to the patient’s Computed Tomography (CT) data to develop the exact 3D geometry of the eye. Using this 3D geometry, the trajectory of the buckle is fitted and the buckle is formed, which is then 3D-printed with biocompatible polymer materials. It is expected that the power of technology will be used to activate the most precise approach for each individual patient. Considering the possible complications and technical difficulties of other surgical methods, the customized macular buckle is an appropriate, easy-to-use, and most precise piece of medical equipment for the treatment of myopic traction maculopathy.