New way to fight glaucoma scarring
Glaucoma, a disease characterised by a build-up of pressure in the eye, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Image: VladimirCetinski/iStockphoto Scientists at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed an innovative way to combat post-surgical scarring for glaucoma patients.A clinical trial has shown that the use of a new drug delivery method has resulted in 40% fewer injections needed by glaucoma patients to prevent scarring after surgery. This also means fewer hospital visits for these patients in future.Glaucoma, a disease characterised by a build-up of pressure in the eye, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It affects about 3% of the population in Singapore and an estimated 30% of sufferers require surgery to adequately control the disease. However, success rates for glaucoma surgery in Asian patients are considerably lower than those reported in Caucasian patients because Asians have a higher risk of scarring after...