The devices are the work of researchers looking to increase natural tear production and thus alleviate dry eye syndrome

Jan 26, 2015 12:39 GMT  ·  By

The dry eye syndrome, whose official moniker is the more complicated-sounding keratoconjunctivitis sicca, affects some 20 million people in the US alone on a yearly basis.

As its name suggests, this condition boils down to the fact that the lacrimal glands do not produce as much tears as they should. What this means is that the surface of the eye is not properly lubricated and, in time, begins to hurt.

Hoping to help folks diagnosed with the dry eye syndrome, a team of Stanford Biodesign researchers designed and developed two distinct implantable devices whose sole purpose is to literally make people cry.

Of these devices, one of which is featured in the photo below, a model is designed to be implanted in the mucous membrane coating the inside of your average guy's or gal's nasal cavity.

The other model is designed to be implanted right under the skin below the eyebrow. Whatever their location, the devices can be controlled using wireless technology and serve to deliver electrical pulses to the lacrimal glands.

In turn, these teeny tiny electrical pulses stimulate the production of tears. The more pulses the lacrimal glands receive, the more tears they produce and the better the eye is lubricated.

Apparently, the researchers who came up with the idea to develop such wireless devices to treat folks affected by the dry eye syndrome got to work on this research project some time ago, in 2010.

However, it was only in 2012 that the devices were tested in clinical trials launched in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. “The first time I saw our device actually working in a real patient, it was out of this world,” says specialist Michael Ackermann.

Should things go as planned, the devices will soon become available in Europe, maybe even Canada. In order for this to happen, they must first be approved by health officials.

Implantable device promises to make you cry
Implantable device promises to make you cry

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Dry eye syndrome affects millions of people yearly
Implantable device promises to make you cry
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