Calcific
band keratopathy (CBK) is a degenerative condition resulting in the deposition of
calcium salts in the superficial layers of the cornea and causing significant visual disturbance and
pain of the affected eye. Unfortunately, the amount of CBK precipitates recovered from the affected eye is very small therefore; it would be beneficial to prepare a synthetic material mimicking CBK material to further the development of
therapeutics. Analyses of
biological samples recovered from patients show the presence of
silicon in addition to
calcium, as well as a distinctive fused spherical morphology. This prompted us to study the reaction of various sources of
silicon (fumed
silica,
silicic acid, and
silicone oil) with CaCO(3) under a range of reaction conditions to gain an understanding of the formation of CBK. A
silicon source alone was not found to be responsible for the fused spherical morphology, and a third component, a polar
surfactant-like molecule such as
sodium dodecyl sulfate or tetradecylphosphonic
acid, was also required. The effects of
silicon:
calcium ratio and reaction time have been studied. The reaction of fumed
silica with CaCO(3) in presence of
sodium dodecyl sulfate results in the formation of spherical shapes resembling the structures and chemical composition observed in the eye samples, while no such structures were observed in the absence of
silicon. Samples closely resembling human samples were also formed from the reaction of
silicone oil with CaCO(3) in the presence of tetradecylphosphonic
acid. Samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, and XPS and Raman spectroscopy.