Characterization analysis of Natural Latex membranes applied in the amblyopic eye
Jaqueline Alves Ribeiro1; Suélia de S. Rodrigues Fleury Rosa2; Cicília Raquel Maia3; Cláudio Lopes de Vasconcelos3; João Maria Soares3
1 Federal Institute of Goiano -Campus Ceres. Doctoral candidate at the Universidade de Brasilia (UnB),; 2 Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasilia, Brazil.; 3 Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte.
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-0763
Resumo
The ophthalmic dysfunction called amblyopia consists of low vision in an eye that did not develop properly in childhood. Popularly known as lazy eye, that dysfunction has been one of the most frequent causes of vision loss in children, affecting between 2 to 5 % of the population. The products currently used for amblyopia treatment are the conventional occlusors, fixed with tape directly over the eye of the child. They generate aesthetic damage and also enable the child to remove it very often, which brings considerable inefficiency to the treatment. In view of what has been exposed this study presents a simpler approach of eye occlusion based on ophthalmic lens. These lenses derived from a biomaterial occluder that prevents the passage of light from the external environment into the eye. The biomaterial applied is a kind of latex that already presents several applications in tissues with satisfactory results. The lenses made were characterized through physical and chemical methods in order to analyze the characteristics of latex in natura and natural rubber membranes, thermally treated at 40° and 70 °C. Its applicability presents less discomfort when compared with the current products, mainly among children under the age of 6, which are the main victims of amblyopia. The methods used to feature the materials obtained were: X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), Electronic Scanning Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetry Analysis (TA) Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and water absorption analysis. Physical and chemical properties analysis of latex membrane used enabled to clarify its application as biocompatible occlusors to be used in children who develop amblyopic eye.
Palavras-chave: latex membranes; amblyopia; infant eye occluder