Researchers at Columbia University have produced eye drops that now stand a chance to be a more effective and pleasant treatment for a condition known as retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Just try to imagine how powerful it would be if this turned out to be a true possibility.
According to the press release, the research highlighted in the paper demonstrated that the innovative eye drop therapy was twice as successful as the conventional injectable therapy in terms of minimizing edema and enhancing blood flow inside the retina of mice that were diagnosed with RVO. The researchers observed that the eye drops stopped neurons (photoreceptors) in the retina from degenerating over time and retained visual function, in contrast to the usual injections, which had no effect on either of these factors.
Let’s delve into more details and find out what the chances are for drops to replace eye injections.
Eyedrops for the treatment of retinal disease
Anti-VEGF therapy has helped a lot of people with RVO, but the fear factor—having to get a needle in the eye—causes many people to delay treatment, which can lead to retinal damage; […] there’s an opportunity to help more people with this disease that is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, explained Carol M. Troy, MD, Ph.D., professor of pathology and cell biology and of neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
During the course of the research, mature male C57Bl/6J mice were assigned at random to receive either an intravitreal injection of an anti-VEGF antibody, a topical injection of a specific caspase-9 inhibitor (Pen1-XBir3), an introduction of RVO, or a combination therapy. What were the results?
According to the findings, inhibiting caspase-9 and neutralizing VEGF both demonstrated considerable retinal protection from RVO when actually weighed against the vehicle treatment arm. Retinal reperfusion of obstructed veins was sped up in eyes that were given caspase-9 inhibitor. Still, there was no significant difference between the anti-VEGF group and the vehicle in the eyes that were given anti-VEGF.
The eye drops will be tested in human clinical studies in the future, so the upcoming investigations will focus on preparing for those and finding other therapeutic targets.
Based on Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)’s other findings, RVO affects up to 2% of adults over the age of 40 and happens when a vein in the eye’s retina becomes clogged, which causes inflammation in the eye, injury to the retina, and, sadly, loss of vision.
