EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

General forum for the UK Keratoconus and self-help group members.

Click on the forum name, General Discussion Forum, above.

Moderators: Anne Klepacz, John Smith, Sweet

User avatar
dweezil1968
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon 25 Apr 2005 10:09 am
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Location: brighton

EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby dweezil1968 » Tue 21 Oct 2008 10:07 pm

Invention: Eyeball stiffener - Reproduced with kind permission of Jeremy Webb (Editor) New Scientist

* 16:39 21 October 2008
* NewScientistnews service
* Justin Mullins

The blinding disease keratoconus affects as many as one person in 435, striking between the ages of 10 and 20.

It involves a progressive thinning of the cornea which then bulges into a cone shape, causing severe visual impairment that can only sometimes be corrected with contact lenses.

But now David Paik and colleagues at Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University, New York, say a solution containing sodium nitrite ions could provide a simple treatment.

Daily application causes collagen fibres in the cornea to bond together, creating a supporting scaffold within the outer layers of the eye. Once diagnosed and treated, the stiffer cornea would prevent the condition progressing, they say.

Eyeball stiffening has previously been shown to work by German researchers. But that method involves scraping the top layer of cells from the cornea before applying a solution that must be fixed using strong UV light.

Neither the scraping nor the UV light do the eye any good, preventing that approach from receiving FDA approval, says the Columbia team.

But the friendlier sodium nitrite solution is able to soak through to the collagen-rich layer and can be applied by patients at home, they say.

It could also be also used to stabilise the eyesight of patients with severe myopia, or short-sightedness, caused by other conditions in which the cornea changes shape, such as some types of glaucoma.

Title: METHOD OF STABILIZING HUMAN EYE TISSUE BY REACTION WITH NITRITE AND RELATED AGENTS SUCH AS NITRO COMPOUNDS
Abstract:
A method for stabilizing collagenous eye tissues by nitrite ion treatment. The topical stiffening agent contains sodium nitrite in a buffered balanced salt solution and can be applied to the surface of the eye on a daily basis for a prolonged period. The pH of the sodium nitrite solution can be lowered to speed the effect. Application of the solution results in progressive stabilization of the corneal and scleral tissues through non-enzymatic cross-linking of collagen fibers. The nitrite can penetrate into the corneal stroma without the need to remove the corneal epithelium. In addition, ultraviolet light is not needed to activate the cross-linking process. The resulting stabilization of corneal and scleral tissues can prevent future alterations in corneal curvature and has utility in diseases such as keratoconus, keratectasia, progressive myopia, and glaucoma.

User avatar
cclman
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun 14 Sep 2008 11:11 am
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Other
Location: Europe- but from the UK

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby cclman » Wed 22 Oct 2008 7:52 am

I knew it was odd that a simple drop was not/is not yet available to strengthen (or in your example) "stiffen" the corneas :!: now you report this it is excellent news, however it may not so popular as ccl/cxl makes profits for many and expensive equipment is used to laser the eyes prior to vit B drops and UV. I can't see it being welcomed with open arms by some professionals in the field. It may also take years to be apparoved and proved reliable but its a hope for others in the future. Conspiracy theories :?: maybe :!: why is there still not a cure for cancer :?: treatments of illnesses whatever they are, make billions in profits for drug companies and for specialists. An interesting and contraversial topic of debate.

This information is great and lets hope it works and is applied for people with KC.
Mr Magoo "did you say turn left NO that's right aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!, Splash"

User avatar
pepepepe
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 137
Joined: Sat 16 Aug 2008 12:13 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby pepepepe » Wed 22 Oct 2008 9:10 am

If you look through some of these patent sites there are so many inventions - but they never see the light of day, may be because they was found to have problems with them one way or another after they where filed as a "theory" to solve a problem. Lets hope in practice this is not the case and its proved in a time to come, but it may be years when that may happen from the first idea. It looks like you have to keep using these drops, will each use cause blurring of vision for a duration that it will not make it usable in practice ? will it make the cornea more regular or improve its optical properties also ? if it does not, because they don't talk about it in the link, then how do they know its worked ? and how long it will work for ? as your not back to "square one" if and when it stops working. Its all speculation and new scientist magazine is all about that, in what may happen in the future, its not a respected peer reviewed journal. New Scientis magazine never print things which has failed in experimentation, which once it printed about as a "may be" future prospect before the experimentation took place, which they once run in their magazine.

User avatar
dweezil1968
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon 25 Apr 2005 10:09 am
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Location: brighton

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby dweezil1968 » Wed 22 Oct 2008 9:16 am

The New Scientist IS a respected publication! besides its interesting to read about any developments and reserach that might one day help all KC sufferers isn't it?
Its vital we all keep up to date on developments, well I think it is anyway, so i will continue to be well informed, and take stuff with a pinch of salt where required of course.

User avatar
Anne Klepacz
Committee
Committee
Posts: 2265
Joined: Sat 20 Mar 2004 5:46 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby Anne Klepacz » Wed 22 Oct 2008 9:34 am

Thanks Dweezil (and Whiteduck) for posting about this. We'll clearly have to wait and see whether this really does hold out any hope. But even if it doesn't get anywhere, it's great to know that there is so much research into KC these days and that options are increasing for us.
Anne

User avatar
pepepepe
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 137
Joined: Sat 16 Aug 2008 12:13 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby pepepepe » Wed 22 Oct 2008 11:44 am

All publications are respected by certain people - even Beano - there is a difference between a peer reviewed journal of the medical type and one that is not though.

User avatar
GarethB
Ambassador
Ambassador
Posts: 4916
Joined: Sat 21 Aug 2004 3:31 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Location: Warwickshire

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby GarethB » Wed 22 Oct 2008 12:34 pm

Interesting article but having looked at the main web site and the text posted we are actually in breach of copyright. Although New Scientist is acknowledge we do not have their permission to use their text.

That said I am not removing the text as I have left a message for Jeremy Web the editor of the New Scientists to call me back so that we can have permission to use their text.

Should no such permission be received, sorry guys we will have to revert to a link to the New Scientist.

Regards

Gareth
Gareth

User avatar
GarethB
Ambassador
Ambassador
Posts: 4916
Joined: Sat 21 Aug 2004 3:31 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Location: Warwickshire

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby GarethB » Wed 22 Oct 2008 2:45 pm

Hope Dweezil doesn't mind the addition I have made to his post.

I trust you will all join me in thanking Jeremy Webb (Editor) of the New Scientist for kindly allowing us to reproduce this article. There is an area where you can add your comments regarding this article Eyeball Stiffener

May I remind people that the copying of such information from other web sites without the authors or web site owners permission is a breach of copyrighth and could land the UK Keratoconus Support Group in serious trouble.

Once again thank you Jeremy and the New Scientist.

Regards

Gareth
Gareth

User avatar
pepepepe
Regular contributor
Regular contributor
Posts: 137
Joined: Sat 16 Aug 2008 12:13 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby pepepepe » Wed 22 Oct 2008 5:18 pm

Very sensible Gareth and my I take this opportunity to say that you write some excellents posts all round !

Pepe

User avatar
Andrew MacLean
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 7703
Joined: Thu 15 Jan 2004 8:01 pm
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: Other
Location: Scotland

Re: EYEBALL STIFFENER- NEW SCIENTIST

Postby Andrew MacLean » Fri 24 Oct 2008 11:05 am

This is a really interesting development; and for it to have filtered through from peer-reviewed specialist journals to New Scientist is maybe a sign of a real breakthrough.

Thank you for drawing it to our attention, and of course, thanks to Gareth for repairing a potential copyright problem.

Andrew
Andrew MacLean


Return to “General Discussion Forum”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 33 guests