From Blindness to “4K” vision: CorNeat Vision’s artificial cornea provides new hope for the corneally blind
Patient Stories: How MedTech Innovator alumni are transforming lives At MedTech Innovator, we empower healthtech companies to bring groundbreaking solutions to patients in need. Our Patient Stories series highlights the real-world clinical impact of the companies we support—showcasing how their technologies are transforming patient care, improving outcomes, and advancing healthcare. CorNeat was a participant in the 2022 MedTech Innovator cohort.
From Blindness to “4K” Vision
CorNeat Vision’s artificial cornea provides new hope for the corneally blind
Globally, corneal disease is a leading cause of blindness, with millions requiring transplants, yet only a fraction receive them. This disparity is due to severe donor shortages and a lack of infrastructure and qualified surgeons. In fact, over half of the world’s population does not have access to transplantation. Even in regions where keratoplasty (corneal transplantation) is available, outcomes vary significantly depending on tissue quality, surgical precision, and host immune mechanisms. On average, 25% will suffer from significant optical distortion upon bandage removal, and 20% of grafts will be rejected and become opaque within the first two years of follow-up.
Regaining independence after blindness
Patrick is a 73-year-old man suffering from inherited corneal degeneration, Keratoconus. His past medical history includes six transplantations, three in each eye. The last procedure, performed about 20 years ago, was rejected within just a couple of months of the transplantation. Patrick has been blind since his fifties, requiring complete assistance with all activities of daily living.
About two years after becoming irreversibly blind, Patrick and his wife gave birth to their youngest daughter. Patrick had never seen her–until CorNeat made it possible.
Patrick was recruited to the CorNeat KPro clinical trial as its first patient, in Paris, France. The operation took place in June of 2024.
“As the inventor, I couldn’t resist… I snuck into Patrick’s room the afternoon of the procedure,” described Gilad Litvin, MD, CorNeat’s founder & Chief Medical Officer. “I removed his bandage and showed him the digit “two” on my iPhone screen. He looked puzzled at the phone and said he saw the number two. I repositioned the bandages and left. Later, I realized that the iPhone was introduced three years after he became blind.”
“The following day, the bandages were removed for good. It was clear that a dramatic change had happened. Patrick walked independently to the exam room and was able to read the digits appearing on the vision chart. He called his wife in tears and exclaimed, “We got our lives back.” The next day, he saw his 18-year-old daughter for the first time.”
In the nine months since his implantation, Patrick’s vision has continuously improved, eventually achieving 20/16 vision (better than 20/20) and he has regained complete independence. His vision and eyes look, feel, and see great.
How CorNeat helps
The CorNeat KPro has advantages that are crucial for cases like Patrick’s. Being completely synthetic and inert, rejection responses are not expected. The central optical member of the KPro is a lens replacing the optical performance of the resident cornea with ideal, spherical 42 Diopters of optical power. Once integrated, the KPro is not expected to deteriorate, and no future immune response can compromise its performance.
Patrick’s case demonstrates the ability of the CorNeat KPro to become a primary solution for corneal blindness and offer–for the first time–a long-lasting solution that will enable corneally blind patients around the world to fully enjoy their vision potential immediately following a relatively straightforward implantation procedure.
About CorNeat
CorNeat Vision is a leading and innovative ophthalmic medical device company, with a product portfolio addressing unmet needs in cornea, glaucoma, and ocular surface surgery. Our products, which include an artificial cornea, a synthetic scleral patch, and a revolutionary glaucoma drainage device, leverage our novel and proprietary permanent tissue-integrating material technology, the EverMatrix™, to seamlessly integrate with surrounding living tissue, offering enhanced, long-lasting solutions that reverse and prevent blindness.
About MedTech Innovator
MedTech Innovator is the world’s largest accelerator of medical device, digital health, and diagnostic companies. Its mission is to improve human health by accelerating the growth of companies that are transforming patient care. MTI has been a catalyst for groundbreaking healthcare solutions, sourcing nearly 14,000 applicants and fostering the growth of over 700 graduates. MTI alumni companies have collectively raised $9.5 billion in follow-on funding and introduced 360+ products to the market, improving the health of millions worldwide.
