Thursday, January 21, 2021

Medicated drops may help close macular holes, helping some patients avoid surgery


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/uocm-mdm012121.php

 

News Release 21-Jan-2021
University of Chicago Medical Center

 

Medicated drops may help close small macular holes over a two- to eight-week period, allowing some people to avoid surgery to fix the vision problem, a new study suggests.

The findings, based on a retrospective multicenter case series published Dec. 15, 2020, in Ophthalmology Retina, could lead to a better understanding of which patients may benefit from the treatment, as well as the timeline of the treatment's effectiveness.

"For certain patients, medicated drops may heal their macular hole by decreasing inflammation and increasing fluid absorption in the retina," said ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, senior author of the study. Skondra is an associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science and director of the J. Terry Ernest Ocular Imaging Center at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Macular holes are age-related and usually affect people over 60 years old. An area located in the retina on the inside back of the eyeball, the macula allows us to have sharp, central vision. Depending on the size and location of the break in a person's macula, the holes can cause distorted, blurred or a dark patch in central vision.


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