Surgeons treating patients with eye diseases could soon have in their arsenal three novel microfabricated surgical instruments developed through a partnership between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee Hamilton Eye Center in Memphis. The Retinal Clinch tool features a design that allows the surgeon to remove scar tissue from the surface of the retina with improved precision. This is because the height of the tiny glass spikes that perform the cutting are customized to match the thickness of the patient's eye membrane, thus tailoring the instrument to the patient's unique pathology. The other tools are the Corneal NanoPunch, used to enhance the healing of abrasions and erosions, and the Cornea Treatment Tool, useful for delivering drugs from the array of glass spikes on the tip of the tool to the exact disease sites. Patents are pending. This research has been funded by ORNL's Laboratory Directed Research and Development and maturation programs, and the UT Research Foundation.