20/20: NSERC Ophthalmic Materials Network

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Term	Definition
Age Related Macular Degeneration	A degenerative eye disease that causes loss of central vision due to damage to the retina. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in elderly adults over the age of 50.
Anterior Segment	The front third of the eye. Includes structures such as the cornea, iris and lens.
Cataracts	A clouding of the lens of the eye that blocks light from reaching the retina, thereby interfer-ing with vision.
Contact Lenses	Lightweight corrective lenses that are placed onto the cornea of the eye to improve vision.
Fibrosis	The excessive formation of connective or fibrous tissue during, for example, the healing process.
Intraocular Lenses	Synthetic lenses that are implanted into the eye to replace the existing organic lens. They are commonly used as a form of cataract surgery in order to replace lenses that have been clouded over.
Macular Degeneration	A disease causing the degeneration of the macula, the central portion of the ret-ina of the eye, leading to loss of central vision.
Microemulsion	Uniform, clear and stable mixture of water, oil and a surfactant.
Microgel	A gel consisting of a network of cross-linked polymers microscopic in size.
Posterior Segment	The back two-thirds of the eye. Includes structures such as the retina and optical nerve.
Triggerable Material	Materials whose properties can be made to change in response to a 'trigger', for example, light or temperature.

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