It’s hard to believe that one of the most difficult things to do is put eye drops in your eyes! If you ever had a condition that required you to put medicine directly into your eyes, then you know this is true!
It is natural for the eye to react negatively when it sees something coming close to it. This is true of putting contact lenses in as well but over time, you are able to train your eye to ‘stay still’ so you can insert the lens. This is also true of putting in eye drops. Even so it doesn’t make it easy.
Well, today scientists are hard at work trying to find ways to get essential medicine into your eyes as ‘painlessly’ and easily as possible. For example, persons who suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) often have to visit the doctor once a month for an injection directly into the eyeball. It is estimated that 11 million Americans currently suffer from AMD and must submit to this medical procedure in order to maintain their ability to see. AMD is currently the most common reason for vision loss in the country today (a symptom of an aging population).
It would be an understatement to claim that eye injections are pleasant and something that a patient looks forward to. In fact, the procedure is very difficult and open to the possibility of damage to the eye itself. Scientists have been hard at work in search of an alternative and they have recently discovered one. This new treatment is the delivery of medicine in the form of an eye drop instead of an injection. The application is actually quite ingenious. Doctors have created a ‘cell-penetrating peptide’ that once it enters the eyeball through a dropper, can carry the necessary medicine to all parts of the eyeball within a very short amount of time.
While this procedure has only been tried on animals, it is very promising. All indications are that it is safe, highly effective and non-toxic while being touted as the equivalent to any type of alternative medication delivery system.
Trust the experts at Island Eyecare to stay abreast of the latest in research and technology for the benefit of our patients. We look forward to providing you with the best service possible.