Millions of Americans live with altered vision, from mild blurriness to complete blindness. While many rely on prescription glasses or contact lenses, hundreds of thousands choose corrective eye surgery each year, including LASIK — a laser-assisted procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct vision. Although LASIK is widely used, it carries risks, side effects, and limitations. Now, researchers are testing a new approach that reshapes the cornea without cutting it, potentially transforming eye care.
Presenting the Breakthrough at ACS Fall 2025
Michael Hill, professor of chemistry at Occidental College, will present his team’s findings at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2025 meeting, held August 17–21. The conference features nearly 9,000 scientific presentations across disciplines. Hill’s team is working to remove the “laser” from LASIK, replacing it with a safer and more affordable corneal reshaping method.
Why LASIK Has Limits
The cornea, a dome-shaped transparent structure at the front of the eye, bends light and focuses it onto the retina to form clear images. When the cornea is misshapen, light is scattered, resulting in blurry vision. LASIK corrects this by carving away precise sections of corneal tissue with a laser.
Although considered safe, LASIK compromises corneal integrity and can cause side effects. As Hill explains, “LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It’s still carving tissue — just carving with a laser.”
A New Approach: Electromechanical Reshaping (EMR)
Hill and collaborator Brian Wong, a surgeon at the University of California, Irvine, are exploring an alternative known as electromechanical reshaping (EMR). Wong discovered this process while studying living tissues as moldable materials.
In collagen-rich tissues like the cornea, shape is held by the attractions of oppositely charged components. Because these tissues contain water, applying an electric potential lowers their pH and loosens rigid bonds, making the tissue temporarily malleable. Restoring the original pH then locks the tissue into its new shape.
Proof of Concept in Rabbit Corneas
As per the ACS.org, the researchers developed specialized platinum “contact lenses” to act as templates for the corrected corneal shape. Placed over rabbit eyeballs in a saline solution resembling natural tears, the platinum lenses doubled as electrodes. When a small electric potential was applied, they induced a precise pH shift.
Within about one minute — the same time required for LASIK — the cornea reshaped to match the lens curvature, without incisions or costly equipment.
In experiments on 12 rabbit eyeballs, including 10 modeled as nearsighted (myopic), EMR successfully adjusted the corneal curvature to the targeted focus, improving simulated vision. Careful control of the pH gradient preserved cell survival. The team also demonstrated that EMR could potentially reverse chemical-induced corneal cloudiness, a condition currently treated only with corneal transplants.
Next Steps: From Lab to Living Models
Although results are promising, the researchers stress that the technique is still in its early stages. The next phase will involve detailed animal studies, beginning with live rabbits. They also plan to explore EMR’s potential in correcting different vision problems, including farsightedness and astigmatism.
However, progress depends on sustained scientific funding. As Wong describes, this work requires a “long march through animal studies that are detailed and precise.”
A Vision for the Future
Despite the challenges, the researchers believe EMR could become a game-changing alternative to LASIK. As Hill concludes: “There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic. But if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper, and potentially even reversible.”