Eyes sealed shut: Seamless closure of surgical incisions

TAU researcher brings ground-breaking fibre-optic laser system to the world of corneal transplants

Some 30,000 years ago, prehistoric man wielded animal bones as needles to suture otherwise lethal wounds. This tactic has been used, and improved upon, over time and remains the basis of surgical procedures conducted today. Even with radical new surgical techniques, which rely on metallic and polymeric staples or chemical adhesives to seal incisions, infection and permanent scarring remain major concerns. The success of any wound closure is entirely dependent on the physician’s skill set alone.

Prof. Abraham Katzir, Head of the Applied Physics Group at Tel Aviv University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, has spent much of his career honing a technique he devised called ‘laser welding,’ by which incision edges are heated in a precisely controlled manner for optimal wound closure. Now a study explores a radical new application of this technique