Mail on Sunday and Sunday Express reported the first patients in the UK to have undergone the revolutionary TCA procedure performed by our Medical Director Mr Sheraz Daya and already within 24 hours the patients are ecstatic with their near vision.

TransForm Corneal Allograft (TCA) is a new procedure in European clinical trial that uses a microscopic piece of corneal tissue (about the thickness of 3 red cells) to correct the need for reading glasses.

The TCA is created using natural human corneal tissue that has been shaped using high precision patented and proprietary technology.

These shaped lenticules are placed in the patient’s natural cornea with the aim of reducing or eliminating the need for spectacles.

Patient John Parkes from East Grinstead, West Sussex was one of the first two patients to have the microscopic corneal inlay.

Within minutes of him recovering from his surgery he was able to read small print that would have previously needed reading glasses.

Mr Parkes, father of three was fortunate to get this procedure for free as part of a trial. He was delighted with his 6/6 distance near vision and said:

“My vision is near perfect. I don’t need to wear glasses anymore! Overall the experience was very good… very professional and great care throughout the whole process. It’s transformed my life.

I would constantly be losing my glasses or having to take them on and off to switch to distance. I have lost count of how many pairs of glasses I’ve damaged or lost. I’m a steel erector by training and I now run a company that supervises the erection of the steel frames of buildings. I have to look at architects plans to make sure the right steels go in place. A lot of writing is very small and I am often working at night on projects where there is 24-hour building activity.”

Sheraz Daya, Medical director of Centre for Sight and Clinical Investigator for Allotex the manufacturer of the product, performed UK’s first cases on 5th June 2019 as part of the clinical Trial.

Both patients had one eye treated and the day following surgery were able to read beyond newspaper print maintaining good distance vision. Unlike other procedures this surgery has the advantage of being additive in that a piece of microscopic tissue is added and therefore can always be removed.

Sheraz Daya commented –
“This is a wonderful procedure for both patient and surgeon. While sophisticated requiring considerable attention to detail, the initial results are excellent and we look forward to performing larger numbers of patients. I do believe this procedure will be mainstream in the future.”

“We are very pleased with the progress and the results of our initial clinical trial. Patient satisfaction has been high, surgeons are comfortable with the procedure, and we are excited about moving into the final phase of the European clinical trials. We expect to be able to fully commercialize our TransForm products in Europe within the next 12 months.”

Dr. David Muller
Allotex CEO

Allotex is a Boston based private ophthalmic biologics and device company developing the TransForm Corneal Allograft (TCA) and other new therapeutic solutions for the treatment of presbyopia (reading glasses) and hyperopia (farsightedness).

The TCA therapy is accomplished through tissue addition technology that uses precisely shaped human corneal allografts to create what is essentially a permanent, living contact lens or lens insert. Allotex is a clinical stage company led by Drs. David Muller and Michael Mrochen.

Read Full Article – End of glasses? Ground-breaking technology sees major trial success – By Lucy Johnston (Sunday Express)

Read Full Article – Pioneering six-minute cornea transplant surgery could spell the end for reading glasses with patients ‘able to make out small print within minutes’ – By Martyn Halle & Stephen Adams (Daily Mail)

Author Information

Authored by Sheraz Daya MD FACP FACS FRCS(Ed) FRCOphth

Mr Daya is the Medical Director of Centre for Sight and listed amongst the 100 most influential ophthalmologists in the world (https://theophthalmologist.com/power-list/2018/sheraz-daya/).

Next review due August 2025.