Glaucoma patients are set to benefit from the first new treatment in 25 years to combat the debilitating eye disease.
Once-daily eye drops will help prevent patients from going blind by combating the buildup of pressure in the eyeball.
The treatment, called Roclanda, was approved last month by the NHS spending watchdog based on research showing it is just as effective but safer than currently available eye drops.
It is expected to benefit around 115,000 people in the UK.
Ms Nishani Amerasinghe, a glaucoma consultant at University Hospital Southampton, describes Roclanda as a “paradigm shift”.
“We haven’t had anything new for glaucoma patients in over 20 years,” he says, “so this is a really exciting treatment.”
Once-daily eye drops will help prevent patients from going blind by combating the build-up of pressure in the eyeball. Image: File image
Vision loss caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed, but treatments can slow it down. Image: Archive image
Glaucoma affects more than 700,000 people in the UK, most of whom are over 70. It occurs when the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, is damaged.
It is usually caused by fluid buildup in the front of the eye. There are several types of glaucoma, but most patients have primary open-angle glaucoma, which is triggered when the eye’s drainage channels become blocked. People with a family history of the disease are more likely to be affected. It is also linked to diabetes.
Vision loss caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed, but treatments can delay it.
Some patients are offered laser treatment or surgery to remove fluid blockages in the eye, but the most common treatment is pressure-reducing eye drops, applied once or twice a day.
These include low-potency drops, such as bimatoprost or latanoprost. If these don’t work, stronger options are prescribed, such as a treatment called timolol.
While effective, timolol and other equally potent eye drops are not suitable for patients with underlying health problems.
This includes those with heart problems, low blood pressure and asthma, all of which are more common in older adults.
However, Roclanda, which is a combination of latanoprost and a drug called netarsudil, is safe for patients with these conditions.
Glaucoma affects more than 700,000 people in the UK, the majority of whom are over 70. Pictured: File image
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the watchdog that decides whether the NHS will fund new treatments, Roclanda will be offered to patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who are unable to undergo surgery and who have not responded to low-strength eye drops.
Experts say the launch of Roclanda, which is expected to be available from October, comes at a crucial time, with record numbers of people needing eye care on the NHS. More than 620,000 patients are currently on a waiting list to see an ophthalmologist, with 17,000 of them waiting more than a year.
Since 2019, more than 550 patients have lost their sight due to this delay, according to a freedom of information request made by the Association of Optometrists last year.
Last month, Labour announced plans to send patients to Specsavers and other traditional opticians for routine tests and checks, in order to free up NHS specialists to treat problems such as glaucoma. Roclanda is also expected to help ease the crisis.
Joanna Hodgkinson, research director at the charity Glaucoma UK, said: “The more treatment options are available, the greater the chance that a patient will receive a treatment that works for them and protects their vision.”