
For decades, medical science has recognized that swine tissues and organs are remarkably similar to humans, meaning that pigs are excellent as both experimental subjects and potential sources for xenotransplantation materials. Now, this includes ophthalmology research related to blindness.
A remarkable experiment published in 2022 described an entirely novel way of curing blindness in people suffering from keratoconus, a condition caused by thinning in the cornea. They did this using nothing but rendered pig’s skin. The results were extremely positive and pointed towards the potential of using swine collagen as an alternative to expensive surgery for corneal implants.
Let’s look at what they did, and what it could mean for the future of ocular surgery.
A New Cure for Keratoconus
Keratoconus is a somewhat uncommon eye disorder, which still affects up to 5% of people in some regions of the world. The cornea – the lens on the outer surface of the eye – begins to thin, and then bulges outwards from internal pressure. As a progressive disease, it steadily reduces the patient’s ability to focus, until potentially leaving them legally blind.
Previously, the only known cure for keratoconus in ophthalmology was full eye implant surgery, replacing the cornea with a new one from a human donor. As with all human organ transplants, demand significantly exceeds supply. In addition, surgery for corneal implants is quite expensive and typically requires a year’s course of immunosuppressants to prevent rejection of the donated corneas. This makes it unaffordable to many patients, particularly in lower-income countries where keratoconus is common.
However, a dual-cohort study conducted on patients in both India and Iran – countries with high rates of keratoconus – has demonstrated the efficiency of a new technique utilizing porcine tissues that may be superior to corneal transplant surgery in nearly every way.
From Pig’s Skin to Eyeballs?
The basic notion behind the experiment was simple: The collagen in pig’s skin is virtually identical to collagen produced by the human body. So, rather than a corneal transplant, the experimental ophthalmology team utilized medical-grade collagen harvested from pig skin, and then injected that into the subjects’ eyes to restore their thinning cornea.
Overall, the experiment was a success with very few qualifications. Of twenty experimental subjects, fourteen of whom were legally blind, all of them experienced a marked improvement in their eyesight. Three effectively had perfect vision restored, and the others still improved to the point that corrective lenses could make up most of the difference. Even the ‘worst’ outcome still restored a high degree of ocular functionality.
Further, those results were maintained for two years before the study was published, showing genuine long-term effectiveness. Reportedly the researchers themselves were “surprised” at how effective the surgery turned out.
Being the first attempt at this procedure, it seems likely that future attempts will be more refined, and potentially restore full vision to a larger percentage of patients.
A Step Forward for Corneal Implant Surgery

Beyond the novelty of utilizing pig skin to repair eyes, this procedure is notable for being a significant improvement over past methods for curing keratoconus.
- Porcine tissues are cheap and easy to procure, with numerous reputable animal biotech companies capable of providing ethically sourced skin for collagen extraction.
- Unlike human corneas, there will never be a shortage of pig skin as long as swine are farmed for food.
- The surgery itself was faster and easier – and therefore cheaper – as well, only taking around 30 minutes compared to two hours for typical corneal implant procedures.
- Because the pig collagen had no foreign cells to trigger the immune system, chances of organ rejection were far lower than with traditional transplants. Patients were only given immunosuppressants for a few weeks, compared to a year or more for full transplants. None showed any signs of rejection.
All of this suggests a big step forward for the treatment of keratoconus within ophthalmology, with no significant drawbacks aside from a need to refine the method to improve patient outcomes.
However, there is one key limiting point: right now, the number of vision issues this treatment could cure is fairly small. Injecting collagen would only help with conditions like keratoconus where the cornea is thinning. Further, if there were damage or scarring to the cornea – such as from infection – this would not be corrected with collagen injections.
So, while this treatment may not revolutionize all blindness treatments, it still offers a major step forward in these specific cases. This is particularly true for people in low-income countries, who might have no other viable option for curing keratoconus and similar diseases.
Ethically-Sourced Porcine Tissue Improves The Science
When doing research involving porcine tissues and organs, it’s vitally important to ensure your source is trustworthy. As tempting as it may be to turn to local farms or slaughterhouses for their waste materials, such sources will be unreliable in terms of quality. Nor is there any good way of knowing whether their swine were treated in accordance with scientific ethical standards.
Reputable animal biotech companies are a superior source, providing ethically sourced materials that are guaranteed to be medical-grade and appropriate for experimentation in ophthalmology and related fields.
Animal Biotech Industries is one of the country’s leading sources of ethical and reliable pig tissues, organs, and other body parts. Our materials are harvested postmortem from swine and procured from reliable sources by an expert team who specialize in providing the materials your research or educational programs need.
We’re also on the cutting edge of shipment, utilizing fully sustainable and even reusable packaging which will still deliver your swine materials in pristine condition. We can work within your timetable, with next-day shipment available for nearly all materials, and same-day shipment is also possible in some cases.
Do you need a special order or unusual materials for study? We can procure whatever porcine parts you require. Universities and labs across the country rely on us to fulfill their every need.
To learn more about our services, or place an order, just contact Animal Biotech Industries.