Consortium

While there have been considerable advances, there are still several barriers to access to corneal transplantation. Due to the lifetime risk of immune rejection and graft failure, several forms of corneal blindness remain unsuitable for transplantation. Through pioneering work by Massimo Busin from the University of Ferrara (UO2), we have observed that the pre-Descemet stroma appears optically transparent even in an opaque decompensated cornea with no functional corneal endothelium. In this interdisciplinary project involving Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria "G.Rodolico - San Marco" - Catania, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Renato Dulbecco - Catanzaro, Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto, we aim to translate this discovery and establish proof of concept for an innovative prefabricated corneal scaffold for the transmission of images to the retina via an intracorneal optical device for visual rehabilitation of corneal blindness. Through a series of clinical and experimental validation campaigns, this innovative approach has the potential to revolutionise the

field of ophthalmology.