Scientists at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital have discovered that a commonly used and affordable eye gel can restore sight in patients suffering from hypotony, a rare illness that usually causes blindness.
The gel hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is widely used during eye procedures to keep the eyeball in form and prevent it from drying out.
In a recent study, seven out of eight patients treated with fortnightly HPMC injections over 12 months restored their eyesight, while their eye shapes normalized.
Hypotony, which affects approximately 100 people in the UK each year, happens when intraocular pressure falls abnormally low, causing the eyeball to distort.
See here: A $28,000 HIV Drug Is Now Just $40, and It Could Save Millions
Traditional therapies, such as silicone oil injections, provide long-term dangers and toxicity.
Researchers discovered that the form of the eye was restored in patients who had HPMC injections every two weeks for a whole year, SkyNews reports.
During surgery, the clear, colorless gel is typically used to keep the eye’s form or to cover its surface for protection and to keep it from drying out.
According to Harry Petrushkin, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, individuals undergoing eye surgery “will have had this gel in or on their eye at some point, but normally that gel is washed off or washed out at the end of surgery.”
“It fills the space, but in this context, it fills the space with something that’s transparent and see-through, and allows you to give a certain amount per patient to fill the eye up to the size it’s supposed to be,” he added.
“A bit like if you’re pumping up a ball, you can pump it up to exactly the right size, and then the eye can see much better,” the doctor continued.
Hypotony may be a result of “a number of different diseases” as well as trauma, inflammation, or complications following surgery, and all management methods have had quite a lot of problems.
Participant Nicki Guy, 47, said she is now “so close to being able to drive again with my left eye.” 35 hypotony patients have received this treatment from Moorfields thus far, and the outcomes have remained consistent.
Motivated by these results, the group intends to look for financing for a more extensive clinical study to evaluate several gels and identify which needs the fewest injections. The British Journal of Ophthalmology published the study.
“If it stays like this for the rest of my life, I would just be exceedingly happy. I’ve been able to take my son skiing.
I love taking photographs, so I can do that again.
There are still challenges with my vision as it is. From where I was, it’s just phenomenal,” Guy stated.
According to Mr. Petrushkin, the “results are holding up” for the 35 hypotony patients that Moorfields has treated thus far.
