Scientists create eye drops to treat age-related blindness

Scientists from the University of Birmingham created an eye drop that has the potential to treat one of the major causes of blindness in the U.K.

The research could put an end to painful injections in the eye used to treat a common eye disorder known as age-related macular generation (AMD). More than 600,000 people in the U.K. are affected by AMD, and future predictions note that this could rise vastly due to an aging population.

AMD is a painless condition that causes people to slowly lose central vision in both eyes and is currently treated by repetitive injections into the eye on a monthly basis over a period of three years. Aside from being a painful procedure for patients, the injections themselves cause tearing and infections inside the eye, as well as a heightened possibility of blindness.

Led by biochemist Dr. Felicity de Cogan, the team developed a method to deliver the injected drug as an eye drop instead. By making use of a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), the drop delivers the drug to the applicable part of the eye within minutes.

The CPP-drug can have a meaningful impact on the treatment of AMD by providing more drug-delivery options. Drug application via eye drop would lead to a large reduction in injurious outcomes, as well as reduced healthcare costs compared to current treatments.

Additionally, the CPP-plus drug complex has the potential to heal other ocular diseases requiring drug delivery to the back chamber of the eye.

“We believe that this is going to be very important in terms of empowering patients and reducing the cost of treatment to the NHS,” said Dr. de Cogan.

Via Medical Xpress