(PreserveMacForte.com) Revolutionary medication-releasing implants promise to eventually benefit people living with diseases ranging from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to diabetes to cancer, reported The Herald Sun recently.
According to the article, Victorian researchers are working on an eye implant that release medication when exposed to a laser. Associate Professor Benjamin Boyd from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences said in the article that the technology could eventually mean that AMD patients will be able to exchange having to get medication injected into their eyes for having the implants release the medication into their eyes. At present, people who have AMD need to get medication via injections in order to halt the progression of wet AMD, where abnormal blood vessels leak blood and other fluid. Wet AMD, left untreated, can progress to blindness, according to the article.
The new approach being working on would require implanting an implant fortified with medication in the eye. Then an ophthalmologist would employ a special laser to cause the implant to release the medication. According to the article, Prof. Boyd said that the new treatment would lessen the number of times that a person needs to have the drug applied, which could lead to better “quality of life.”
The article explained that Prof. Boyd’s research, which is being conducted with the University of Western Australia, the University of South Australia and the Synchrotron, focuses on discovering better methods to administer existing medication to lessen side-effects and enhance effectiveness. He added in the article that the researchers are not seeking to “control the materials” so that they can be administer “on demand.” Up to this point, researchers have succeeded in controlling the materials’ structure, which is critical to making sure that doses are accurate and done at the right time.
In other news, previous research has demonstrated that elderly people need to get AMD just because they are part of the population segment most susceptible to getting the eye disease. With the right dietary and lifestyle changes, people can avoid getting AMD and maintain strong eye health. Going in for regular eye exams, usually once annually, is one way that people can stay on top of their eye health.