ELZA’s research into corneal disease

Members of the ELZA Institute have contributed significantly to the improvement of currently used technologies that reshape the human cornea.

One of our primary research foci is on corneal diseases that can lead to irregular astigmatism that cannot be corrected by spectacles. These diseases can be very debilitating, as they can massively reduce people’s visual acuity and in some cases, render them effectively blind. A typical cause of this amount of irregular astigmatism is keratoconus (and other corneal ectasias like Terrien’s or Pellucid Marginal Degeneration) but scarring due to corneal infection or injury are also common causes. It could happen to anyone. 

ELZA’s surgeons and researchers are heavily focused in progressing the field in terms of not only treating ectasias with cross-linking, but also using the excimer laser, where possible, to improve vision post-cross-linking vision. 

With our research laboratories at both the University of Zurich and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, we are deeply involved in research on this topic and our members give numerous international lectures every year across Europe, Asia, Africa and America.