When Rajiv Bhushans father complained of blurry, browned vision and pain from bright lights, doctors told him that surgically replacing his eyes lenses was the only way to correct the cataracts that had left him legally blind. Instead, after learning that cataracts result from an age-related accumulation of proteins and lipids in a persons lens, Bhushan, an electrical engineer, set to work concocting a chemical solution to break up the molecules clouding his fathers eyes.

Six years later, the eyedrops, called C-KAD, are entering the final stages of clinical testing. If all goes well, they will hit pharmacy shelves in two years, becoming the first non-surgical treatment.