New LASIK Alternative Reshapes Cornea Without Surgery

Researchers have made a breakthrough in developing an alternative to LASIK surgery, a method that uses a platinum mold and electrical potential to reshape the cornea without cutting or removing tissue.

In early experiments, isolated rabbit eyeballs adopted the mold's shape in about a minute, with all 10 eyes treated with a correction intended for nearsightedness reaching the targeted focusing power.

The research was conducted by chemist Michael Hill of Occidental College and surgeon Brian Wong of the University of California, Irvine, and was presented at the American Chemical Society's fall meeting in August 2025.

The method, called electromechanical reshaping (EMR), changes the chemical interactions that help the tissue hold its shape, rather than removing tissue. This is achieved by exploiting a property of collagen-containing tissues, such as the cornea, which can be made malleable by applying an electrical potential.

## What is EMR? EMR aims to improve vision by changing the cornea's curvature without surgery. The goal is to change the optical properties of the cornea without removing material.

## Why it matters For people with myopia, a clear view often depends on glasses, contact lenses, or laser surgery. The development of EMR offers a potential alternative to these methods, one that could improve vision without the need for surgery. The cornea is the eye's transparent, curved front surface, and changing its curvature changes how light travels through the eye, potentially altering how clearly objects appear.

The discovery of EMR's effect was made by accident by researcher Brian Wong, who was looking at living tissues as moldable materials. This breakthrough could lead to a new, non-invasive method for improving vision, one that could benefit millions of people worldwide.