In late January, the American Chemical Society reported in its journal, Langmuir, about a new technique in which researchers were able to substantially extend the release of certain anesthetics into patients’ eyes for pain relief following laser eye surgery by adding vitamin E to the lenses.  The vitamin E acted as a barrier, keeping the anesthetics on the eye, right where they were are needed, for an extended period. The technique extended the release of the anesthetics from just under two hours to up to an entire day — or a few days in some instances.

The technique could some day relieve patients of the burden of repeatedly placing drops into their eyes following laser surgery every few hours for several days.

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