The latest human model developed at the University of East Anglia (UEA) can simulate the changes patients experience following eye surgery.
The laboratory model allows researchers to evaluate lens implants on donor human eyes under conditions that better reflect the environment after cataract surgery.
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens which can only be treated with surgery, where the eye's cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL).
Although most surgeries are successful, some could lead to a haziness known as posterior capsule opacification (PCO).
Lead researcher Prof Michael Wormstone, from UEA's school of biological sciences, said: 'Our model now mimics the transient nature of inflammation that patients experience after cataract surgery. It is more reflective of clinical events and allows comparative evaluation of different types of IOLs.
'We believe this latest model will allow assessment of current commercial IOLs and will aid the development of next generation lenses.'
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