New eye surgery technique 'quicker and less painful'

A new form of eye surgery is making treatment far less painful for diabetics suffering from a common eye ailment.

 

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease which occurs in nearly all long-term diabetics. It blocks the blood vessels in the retina, leading to growth of fragile new vessels which often rupture, clouding vision and eventually leading to blindness if left untreated.

 

Conventional treatment involves four 15-minute sessions of laser therapy, which burns away the abnormal blood vessels before they can burst.

 

However, the treatment is painful and many patients do not return for their second treatment.

 

The new technology, OptiMedica's Patterned Scanning Laser, or 'Pascal', requires only one session and is far less painful.

 

Michael Wiltberger, principle engineer at OptiMedica Corp, told LiveScience: "We can do 56 laser burns in less than 600 milliseconds and the whole procedure in under five minutes.  Now the doctor can say, 'You have a problem, sit down,' and in five minutes it's over with."

 

Mr Wiltberger revealed that Pascal reduces the pulse length of the laser burns from 100 milliseconds to just 10 to 20 milliseconds, significantly reducing the amount of pain experienced.

 

"Some patients don't even feel it at all, and that's a big deal," he said.

 

As well as treating diabetic retinopathy, the new technology is also an effective treatment for age-related macular degeneration and retinal vascular occlusive disease.

 

© Adfero Ltd