Researchers have explored potential treatment that could bring unexpected relief to people living with severe vision loss.
The breakthrough involves commonly used gel called HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) which is normally applied during eye surgeries.
In a study conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, the gel successfully restored vision in seven out of eight patient suffering from hypotony, a rare and previously untreatable condition that can cause blindness.
In this condition, the pressure inside the eye is too low, often changing the eye's shape and causing vision problem.
The research, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology discovered that giving patients HPMC gel injections every two weeks for a year helped restore the normal shape of the eye.
Hypotony can be caused by diseases, injuries, inflammation or surgery complications.
Right now, doctors use silicone oil to treat it but this can be harmful to the eye overtime.
Harry Petrushkin, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields said, "The advantage of using a gel rather than silicone oil is that you can actually see through it much better."
In some cases, injections were stopped after the eye was restored to its normal size.
Moorfields Eye Hospital has treated 35 patients with hypotony using the HPMC gel and the positive results have continued over time.
