3D-Printed eye patch could save sight without a donor
NCT ID NCT07440186
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early study tests a 3D-printed human collagen implant in 4 people with severe corneal melting, a condition where the eye's clear front layer thins and can perforate. The implant is placed on the eye to reinforce the cornea and prevent vision loss. The main goal is to check if the implant is safe and biocompatible.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 3D-printed human collagen implant
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a safer, rejection-free way to repair severe corneal damage and prevent blindness without needing a human donor.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, tiny trial with only 4 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The implant could fail to integrate, cause infection, or not improve vision.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 4 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age over 18 years. 2. Patients who, after receiving detailed information about the design, purpose, risks, and implications of the study, and about their right to withdraw at any time without repercussions, give their informed written consent. 3. Confirmed diagnosis of severe corneal melting. 4. Absence of response to conventional non-surgical treatments, which must include: * Intensive antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral treatment according to etiology. * Anti-inflammatory or immunomodulatory eye drops (such as corticosteroids, cyclosporine, tacrolimus). * Intensive lubrication and/or autologous serum. * Use of therapeutic contact lenses. * The patient must not have responded satisfactorily to these measures and must show progression or persistence of the ulcer, thinning, and structural risk. The absence of response is not defined by a specific number of treatments, but by the lack of clinical improvement or progression of the condition despite having received several of these measures appropriately. In particular, progression of the epithelial defect, worsening stromal thinning, or the appearance of signs of perforation risk will be considered an absence of response, which would justify surgical intervention. 5. If the patient has previously undergone surgical procedures or received other implants (such as amniotic membrane, conjunctival flap, or Tenon's graft), this will be included if there is documented clinical progression without sufficient functional or structural recovery, and provided that there are no surgical alternatives with documented superior efficacy in their specific situation. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnancy or breastfeeding. 2. Refusal to participate in the study. 3. Presence of active eye infection. 4. Systemic diseases that may affect healing. 5. Known hypersensitivity to collagen compounds. 6. Any circumstance that, in the investigator's opinion, makes the patient's participation in the clinical research inadvisable.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.