人工角膜積層製造方法分析與設計

Abstract

角膜是位於眼球最外圍一種無血管且高度透明之組織，但角膜因受傷，感染，或病變而造成白化或是透光度下降問題，全球有超過上千萬人因角膜問題而失明。鑒於由全球捐贈者提供的角膜數量不足，以及接受角膜移植手術後病患可能產生的排斥現象，人工角膜成為目前具有極高潛力的取代方案。積層製造可配合客製化生產組織結構，提供了可替代天然組織的成品。本研究藉此提出以積層製造之技術，透過列印的技術製造人工角膜。利用積層製造的優點，可製作出客製化形狀的人工角膜。本研究針對利用積層製造方式製造角膜的製程進行設計及評估，使用了COMSOL軟體模擬製程中角膜的形變；以及利用3D列印時，配合精確的溫度及壓力控制，成功製造角膜結構及對可交聯之具有丙烯酸官能基的高分子泊洛沙姆水膠 (P407DA) 進行光固化。透過改變環境溫度於15°C與添加支撐氣壓，以此積層製造方法所製造出的人工眼角膜，具有光滑清澈的表面，且於可見光波段具有82%以上的透光度。

The cornea is the outermost part of the eye and a highly transparent organization without vessels. However, due to injury, infection or disease, the cornea can cause bleaching or transmittance decline. In the worldwide, more than millions people are blind due to corneal problems. The global need for artificial cornea is driven by both the population that cannot tolerate donor corneas and the severe shortage of donor corneas. Additive manufacturing provides the opportunity to produce substitutes of the native tissues, and, in turn, to produce customized tissue constructs. This study aims to analyze and design various additive manufacturing processes for artificial cornea. COMSOL simulation presents the deformation of the corneal structure during fabrication. Moreover, 3D printing enables accurate temperature and pressure control in construction on corneal structure during dispensing and photo-curing of diacrylate-terminated Poloxamer 407 (P407DA) hydrogel. With the precise control at ambient temperature (15°C) and additional air pressure support (45 Pa), fabricated corneas can be formed with a smooth surface and light transmission all over 82% in the range of visible light by additive manufacturing process.