In a remarkable medical breakthrough, doctors at Moorfields Hospital in London have successfully treated a rare and dangerous eye condition called hypotony, restoring sight and preventing blindness for their first-ever patient. Nicki Guy, 47, is the first person to undergo this pioneering treatment, and she says the results have been life-changing.
Hypotony occurs when the pressure within the eyeball becomes dangerously low, causing the eye to cave in on itself. This can happen due to poor production of the natural fluid inside the eye, or as a side effect of eye surgery or certain medications. Without treatment, it can lead to blindness.
Previously, doctors have tried using steroids and silicone oil to plump up the eye, but these methods can be toxic and don’t restore much vision. The team at Moorfields decided to try a different approach, using a low-cost, transparent, water-based gel called hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) to fill the eye.
“The idea that we might be causing harm to somebody who has only really one eye with a treatment that may or may not work was nerve-wracking,” said Mr. Harry Petruschkin, Nicki’s eye doctor. “We came up with this as a solution and amazingly it worked. Really, we could not have dreamt of her having the outcome that she has had.”
Nicki, who had previously lost vision in both eyes due to hypotony, says the results have been incredible. “It’s life-changing. It’s given me everything back. I can see my child grow up. I’ve gone from counting fingers and everything being really blurry to being able to see.”
Currently, Nicki can see and read most lines on an eye test chart, just one line away from what is legally required for driving – a massive change from her previous partially sighted state.
“If my vision stays like this for the rest of my life, it would be absolutely brilliant,” she says. “I may not ever be able to drive again, but I’ll take that!”
The Moorfields team has treated 35 patients so far, thanks to funding from the Moorfields Eye Charity, and they have now published the outcomes of the first eight in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The researchers hope that with time, they will get even better at identifying who could benefit from this revolutionary treatment.
“It’s been a fantastic story,” says Petruschkin. “The results are really promising, but it’s early days.”
