Kickstart: The (3D printed) eyes have it

A man in the United Kingdom has received the world's first 3D printed prosthetic eye, a product that promises better fit with fewer invasive medical procedures that can be delivered in half the time and look more like a patient's real eye.

Germany's Fraunhofer IGD worked closely with a team including Moorfields Eye Hospital in the U.K., UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Ocupeye Ltd. and 3D printing specialist Fit AG.

Steve Verze received the prosthetic Nov. 25 at Moorfields in London.

Fraunhofer noted that 8 million people worldwide must have an eye surgically removed due to medical issues each year, and the practice of creating a prosthetic replacement is complex.

"The method of individually measuring the eye socket and manufacturing the prostheses has remained largely unchanged for many decades," Fraunhofer noted in a news release. "The invasive molding can be uncomfortable and in children a distressing experience that often requires a general anaesthetic. The subsequent, hand-crafted, time-consuming manufacturing process leads to several months of waiting, thereby exacerbating what is already a stressful time for the patient."

Rather than endure a long molding process, a modified opthalmic scanner from Tomey Japan took just 2.4 seconds to map Verze's face and eye socket.

The new prosthetic can also improve a patient's self-confidence by blending more precisely to the existing eye, the companies said.

Five years ago, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation made headlines when it predicted that by 2050 there will be "more plastic than fish in the ocean."

You've probably heard that phrase used by politicians, researchers and environmental groups several times since then.

While the BBC noted in 2016 that it was hard to nail down exact numbers (fish don't exactly make themselves available for regular census counts and official weigh-ins, after all) a new study released Dec. 1 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine indicates that the amount of plastic leaking into the world's oceans is increasing.

By 2030 — 20 years ahead of Ellen MacArthur Foundation's date — the world will be putting 58.4 million tons (53 million metric tons) into the oceans each year, or about half the weight of the fish caught in seas, the Associated Press wrote in an article about the report.

So hitting the estimated weight for fish is well within the realm of possibility, and sooner than the foundation estimated.

The American Chemistry Council took issue with the report's call for curtailing some plastics production to reduce pollution. PN's Sarah Kominek is following the story.

The bioplastics industry is in the midst of a really, really big growth spurt.

Speaking at the 16th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin earlier this week, François de Bie, chairman of European Bioplastics, said that within the next five years, bioplastics may see a growth rate of more than 200 percent.

"Before 2026, the share of bioplastics in the total global production of plastics will pass the 2 percent mark for the first time," he said. "Our formula of success is a strong belief in the abilities of our industry, the aspiration for continuous innovation, and the courage to make the necessary financial investments."

Data presented at the event, covered by Karen Laird, editor of our sister magazine Sustainable Plastics, points to production expected to more than triple during the next five years, growing from 2.4 million metric tons this year to 7.5 million tonnes by 2026.
You can check out more at the SP website. (By the way, Sustainable Plastics doesn't require a subscription, but you may need to register to read stories on the site.)