3D‐Printed Corneal Substitutes: Materials, Fabrication, and Preclinical Progress

The cornea is a highly complex, transparent tissue, serving the critical role of focusing the light onto the retina. Due to global shortage of healthy donor corneas for transplantation, there is an urgent need for alternative strategies to restore corneal function in diseased or injured corneal cases. This demand has pushed researchers to develop synthetic tissue‐engineered corneas. In this context, three‐dimensional (3D) printing technologies have recently drawn significant attention due to their ability to fabricate complex, patient‐specific structures with various shapes and architectures, making them an interesting option for the fabrication of artificial corneal tissue. To date, numerous studies have focused on the fabrication and in vitro characterization of 3D‐printed corneal substitutes, but fewer of them have evaluated their therapeutic efficacy in vivo. This paper aims to provide a focused evaluation of the in vivo outcomes of synthetic corneal implants fabricated using various 3D‐printing techniques and materials. We also highlight current challenges and potential future directions for 3D printing of corneal substitutes.