Surgeons from the Davis Medical Center have used artificial muscle to make the eyelid of a human cadaver blink.
The technique could benefit thousands of people each year who lose their ability to blink due to stroke etc., and may also have application in other conditions, such as inability to smile.
Craig Senders, Travis Tollefson and colleagues used EPAM (electroactive polymer artificial muscle) and a small battery to power a simple setup for making a blink. They found the amount of force and stroke required to close the eyelid with the setup were well within the attainable range of the artificial muscle.
Two techniques currently in use to restore blinking both have drawbacks.
Senders and Tollefson estimate the technology will be availabe for patients within 5 years.
The report is in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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