Results of a clinical study showed that an experimental artificial lens implanted during cataract surgery, which releases a medication that gradually lowers eye pressure, may help control glaucoma and reduce patients' need to use therapeutic drops daily.
The scientific website Medical Xpress reported in an article published the day before yesterday that the study included 106 people with glaucoma or elevated eye pressure who were candidates for cataract surgery. Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the United States conducted the study, testing artificial lenses equipped with small pads containing the drug bimatoprost, which is gradually released inside the eye to help lower its pressure.
In contrast, members of the other group received traditional artificial lenses, along with using timolol drops twice daily to treat glaucoma, with the aim of comparing the results of the two methods. The results showed that more than 95 percent of patients who received the experimental lenses did not need additional medications to treat glaucoma within a year of surgery, indicating the possibility of reducing reliance on daily drops for some patients.
Dr. Jeffrey Cramer, an ophthalmologist and co-researcher on the study at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explained that the technology could allow treatment of cataracts and help control eye pressure during a single surgical procedure, noting that daily use of drops may pose difficulties for some patients in adhering to treatment. The experimental technology works by gradually releasing the medication inside the eye to provide a continuous therapeutic effect, which may reduce the need to repeatedly use drops.
However, current results are not sufficient to determine its long-term efficacy and safety, as the lens is still in the experimental phase, while participants continue to be followed up for three years, alongside conducting two larger clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the technology. Glaucoma is an eye disease that can cause damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision, and elevated eye pressure is associated with an increased risk of this damage, making pressure control a primary goal of treatment.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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