Exploring the potential of additive manufacturing in ophthalmology in design and development of custom product

Abstract

In the competitive world, quality of life and economic development of the nation is purely accelerated by a successful healthcare system. Health technologies and availability of medical personnel enhance the healthcare delivery, whereas medical devices play a crucial role in healthcare system. Demands of the medical devices are augmented continuously to diagnosis,treatment, monitoring and restoration of diseases. Development of innovative medical devices is important to meet the healthcare needs and future business opportunities. Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies are offering quick and precise solutions for various unsolved medical cases. This research focuses on identifying the current technical challenges and potential opportunities in novel medical devices that could be manufactured by AM.Focusing further about the extensive study on healthcare systems, medical devices and eye diseases in infants it is identified that, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) screening requires an alternative diagnostic device and demand of the realistic model eye for surgical practice to enhance the comfort level of both the ophthalmologists and patients. The incidence of ROP has increased continuously worldwide, especially in India. Correspondingly, permanent vision loss or blindness in preterm babies caused by potential ROP can be prevented through early treatment along with accurate detection. newline