[Focus on the clinical application of the first artificial bioengineered cornea in China]

Corneal disease ranks second among blinding diseases in China, with the corneal blindness taking up one fourth of the blind population. It has a high incidence and a low rate of sight rehabilitation. The lack of cornea donors and the shortage of corneal specialists have become the bottleneck that hampers the development in curing corneal disease. It is of primal importance to find sufficient donor sources in order to alleviate the current situation. In 2015, the world's first artificial bioengineered cornea was approved by CFDA to be applied clinically as a substitute for human cornea in lamellar keratoplasty. It will not only relieve the cornea donor shortage, but will also spur the training and practices of corneal specialists. The application and clinical trials of such an innovative product will significantly boost fundamental and clinical researches in corneal disease in our country, helping more patients with corneal blindness to recover their sights.