A team of scientists from the University of Birmingham (UK) has developed a type of eye drops with the potential to revolutionize the treatment of one of the leading causes of blindness among the elderly: age-related macular degeneration. A medical condition that could multiply in the future due to the gradual aging of the world population.
Age-related macular degeneration causes the patient to gradually lose their central vision, usually in both eyes. The current treatment for age-related macular degeneration is based on repeated injections into the eyes, every month for at least three years. Which is a problem, since, apart from being an unpleasant procedure for patients, the injections can cause tearing and infections within the eye as well as an increased risk of blindness.
The results of this research, therefore, could spell the end of painful injections to treat this increasingly common eye disorder.
Thus, scientists led by biochemist Felicity de Cogan, from the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham (UK) have invented a method to administer the drug initially injected as an eye drop. In fact, his laboratory experiments have yielded the same results as the drug injected directly into the eye.
The revolutionary eye drop uses a cell penetrating peptide (CPP) to deliver the drug to the relevant part of the eye in a matter of minutes. “The CPP drug has the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, revolutionizing drug delivery options,” explains de Cogan.
“Applying the drug self-administered by eye drops could lead to a significant reduction in adverse outcomes and health care costs compared to current treatments,” Cogan continues.
According to experts, the eye drops created with the cell penetrating peptide could also be applied to other chronic eye diseases that require the delivery of a drug in the posterior chamber of the eye.
The study has been published in the journal Investigative Opthamology and Visual Science.
