A Single-Center Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of a Suture-Free Ophthalmic Hydrogel for Ocular Surface Tissue Adhesion

When severe ocular surface lesions occur (e.g., pterygium, corneal ulcer, ocular surface burn, etc.), the currently clinically common surgical procedures such as conjunctival flap coverage, amniotic membrane transplantation, and keratoplasty are primarily fixed by suturing. However, suturing has numerous drawbacks. On the one hand, the suturing process causes additional mechanical damage to ocular surface tissues, triggers local inflammatory responses, and increases postoperative discomfort such as pain and foreign body sensation. Moreover, uneven suture tension is prone to cause conjunctival flap shrinkage or displacement, impairing the repair effect. On the other hand, postoperative suture irritation continuously activates fibroblast proliferation, leading to excessive deposition of subconjunctival collagen and the formation of dense scar tissue, which in turn compromises the stability of the ocular surface tear film and visual quality. This study intends to develop a suture-free ophthalmic hydrogel for conjunctival flap adhesion. By combining the natural biological activity of decellularized porcine corneal matrix with the photocrosslinking properties of GelMA, and integrating low-energy visible light (465nm) curing technology, the hydrogel enables rapid, firm, and suture-free adhesion of conjunctival flaps.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Cornea Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: Suture-Free Ophthalmic Hydrogel for Ocular Surface Surgery

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Suxia Lo; Phone Number: +86 158 5410 7085; Email: lsuxiasusu@163.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Shandong
    • Jinan, Shandong, China
      • Shandong Eye Hospital
      • Contact: Suxia Li; Phone Number: +86 158 5410 7085; Email: lsuxiasusu@163.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with ocular surface diseases (e.g., pterygium, corneal ulcer, ocular surface burn, pseudopterygium, etc.) who need to undergo conjunctival flap adhesion, amniotic membrane transplantation, or keratoplasty.
2. Aged 18 to 85 years old at the time of informed consent (regardless of gender).
3. Able to provide written informed consent and voluntarily participate in the study.
4. No severe systemic organic diseases, such as severe heart, liver, kidney diseases, and malignant tumors.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. A history of allergy to the components of the suture-free ophthalmic hydrogel (e.g., decellularized porcine corneal matrix, GelMA, etc.) or the drugs prescribed during the perioperative and postoperative observation periods (anesthetics, antibiotics, steroid preparations, etc.).
2. Patients with systemic infectious diseases (bacterial, fungal, positive for HBV, HCV and other viruses, etc.).
3. Diabetic patients with poor blood glucose control (HbA1C ≥ 8.0%).
4. Pregnant women, women who may be pregnant, or women planning to become pregnant during the clinical study.
5. Patients who have participated in other clinical trials or studies within 1 month before obtaining informed consent.
6. Other patients deemed unsuitable for the clinical study due to comorbidities.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Suture-Free Ophthalmic Hydrogel for Ocular Surface Tissue Adhesion Therapy; A Single-Center Clinical Study	Biological: Suture-Free Ophthalmic Hydrogel for Ocular Surface Surgery; Surgical treatment with hydrogel

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety Evaluation Items	Observation of ocular surface irritation symptoms (foreign body sensation, pain, photophobia, lacrimation, etc.), immunogenicity, sensitization, elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular infection, conjunctival hyperemia, and other conditions.	1 month postoperatively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Conjunctival flap adhesion effect	The fitting status of the conjunctival flap was observed under a slit-lamp microscope to assess the presence of displacement or detachment, and the time of complete conjunctival flap adhesion was recorded.	1st day, 1st week, and 1st month postoperatively
Ocular surface repair status	The changes in conjunctival flap thickness were examined by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the conjunctival epithelial healing was observed; fluorescein staining was used to evaluate the integrity of the ocular surface epithelium, and the time of complete epithelial coverage was recorded.	1st week and 1st month postoperatively

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Suxia Li

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): May 22, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Eye Diseases; Corneal Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: SDSYKYY202510-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No