This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Research yields new horizons for intraocular therapies, surgeon says
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
CANCUN, Mexico — Intraocular therapies are set to become more common for a variety of ocular diseases as researchers continue investigating the potential of intraocular drug delivery, such as intracorneal bevacizumab injections, according to an ophthalmologist speaking here.
"I am very enthusiastic about local treatment," said Rubens Belfort Jr., MD, PhD, in giving the Gradle Lecture at the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology meeting. "There is a lot to be done, and many things that can be discovered and used on behalf of the patients."
According to Dr. Belfort, steroids have been an important experimental breakthrough for treating such diseases as uveitis, vasculitis and scleritis, as well as during high-risk operations.
Additionally, the scope of diseases that steroids may be used for continues to increase as studies show such drugs can be safely injected intraocularly, Dr. Belfort said. For example, experimental drugs such as Retaane (anecortave acetate, Alcon) may be used to treat neovascularization without increasing IOP, he said.
In addition to the development of intraocular drugs, drug delivery implants, such as those designed to break down into water and carbon dioxide, are being studied for their safety and efficacy in humans, Dr. Belfort said.
Similar to the significant evolution of IOLs over time, applications for drug delivery implants are only just beginning to be realized and such implants may take on vastly advanced forms in the coming years.
The potential indications for using bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) are also expanding. The drug is currently being investigated for treating corneal neovascularization and has shown efficacy for decreasing the number of new vessels. However, it is still unclear whether the drug can cause adverse events such as corneal melting, Dr. Belfort said.
"We have to be very careful," he said.
As these new implants and therapies continue to take shape, Dr. Belfort closed his talk with a message to young ophthalmologists: "It is very important that young people do not get the idea that everything is known," he said. "We need more young people to get well-trained in basic and clinical research. Only the well-trained will be able to develop better medicine."