User‐demand fast‐curable ocular glues enforced by multilength tunable networks

Abstract

Abstract Achieving fast and secure wound closure without ocular foreign body sensation is highly desired in ophthalmologic surgery. Sutureless approaches using tissue adhesives are gaining popularity, but their practical use is limited by the difficulty in controlling adhesion time and satisfying safety standards without compromising adhesive performance. Herein, we report user‐demand hydrogel‐forming ocular glues based on multilength photo‐crosslinkable hyaluronic acid (HA), achieving firm tissue adhesion under wet and dynamic conditions and possessing cornea‐like optical transparency. The HA‐based photocurable glue (HA photoglue) quickly seals wounds upon nontoxic low‐energy light exposure (320–500 nm, < 5 s, < 1 J cm−2), and its mechanical and adhesive properties are improved by introducing short and long crosslinkable moieties into HA through one‐step synthesis, forming multilength networks. Furthermore, the HA photoglue provides stable sealing in wet environments like ocular mucous surface, a clear vision with a light transmittance of more than 95% over the entire visible range, and a lubricating surface with minimal ocular sensation (generating less than 10% frictional force than suture groups). In a rabbit corneal incision model, the HA photoglue showed improved wound healing efficacy based on histological evaluation compared to control groups.

Keywords

• hyaluronic acid
• hydrogel
• ocular glue
• photo‐crosslinking
• tissue adhesive