New ‘filler’ treatment brings hope to people left blind by rare condition
Groundbreaking treatment gives hope to people with untreatable blindness
- A groundbreaking, low-cost gel injection has successfully restored sight in patients suffering from hypotony, a rare and previously untreatable form of blindness caused by abnormally low eye pressure.
- Pioneered by London's Moorfields Eye Hospital, the treatment involves injecting hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) directly into the eye, which acts like a filler to normalise pressure and restore the eye's shape.
- In a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, seven out of eight patients experienced restored vision after 12 months of treatment, with no serious side effects reported.
- The HPMC gel offers a significant improvement over the previous standard treatment of silicone oil, which can cause toxicity and impair vision due to its light-bending properties.
- Consultant ophthalmologist Harry Petrushkin, who leads the world's only hypotony clinic at Moorfields, is now seeking funding for a larger clinical trial and working to develop longer-lasting gel products.