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• Australia’s first investigational gene therapy trials for dry age-related macular degeneration under way

  Research

  Australia’s first investigational gene therapy trials for dry age-related macular degeneration under way

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  Australia’s first clinical trials of an investigational gene therapy to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have begun at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA).

  CERA’s Principal Investigator of Retinal Gene Therapy Research and vitreoretinal surgeon Dr Tom Edwards performed the first surgeries to administer the investigational gene therapy to patients at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne.

  This investigational gene therapy, being developed by Gyroscope Therapeutics Limited, is being studied in two studies evaluating its safety and effectiveness for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to AMD.

  Age-related macular degeneration causes a gradual and permanent loss of central vision that worsens over time.

  “Having the dry form of AMD is a devastating diagnosis which robs people of their ability to read, drive or even see the faces of loved ones,’’ says Dr Edwards.

  “There is currently no approved treatment for dry AMD. As dry AMD advances, it leads to an irreversible degeneration of retinal cells, causing a gradual and permanent loss of central vision.

  “We look forward to advancing important research for people facing devastating vision loss.”

  Around 20 Australians with dry AMD are expected to take part in the HORIZON and EXPLORE trials, which are Phase II, multicentre, randomised, controlled trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of an investigational gene therapy.

  About AMD

  AMD occurs when debris develops in the central retina (or macula), the tissue responsible for taking light and turning it into vision.

  In time the cells in the retina slowly die leaving gaps, or holes in the vision.

  About one in seven Australians over 50 has the early signs of AMD (i), which can cause severe vision loss if it progresses to the late stage of the disease.

  AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in Australians over 50 (ii). There are two forms of late stage disease – wet and dry. Wet is where blood vessels bleed in the back of the eye.

  As dry AMD advances, it leads to GA, an irreversible degeneration of retinal cells, causing a gradual and permanent loss of central vision.

  More information

  For more information on the HORIZON trial [NCT04566445] or the EXPLORE trial [NCT04437368] please visit Gyroscope Therapeutics or Clinicaltrials.gov 

  Media contact

  Janine Sim-Jones, Centre for Eye Research Australia, +61 420 886 511 [email protected]

  References

  (i) Mitchell, P., Smith, W., Attebo, K., & Wang, J. J. (1995). Prevalence of age-related maculopathy in Australia. The Blue Mountains Eye Study. Ophthalmology, 102(10), 1450-1460. Retrieved from
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9097791 https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(95)30846-9/pdf
  (ii) Foreman, J., Xie, J., Keel, S., van Wijngaarden, P., Sandhu, S. S., Ang, G. S., Dirani, M. (2017). The Prevalence and Causes of Vision Loss in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians: The National Eye Health Survey. Ophthalmology, 124(12), 1743-1752. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.06.001

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  Science and Research

  Macular Research

  Our goal is to advance scientific understanding of macular diseases, in particular age-related macular degeneration – and ultimately develop new treatments to prevent vision loss.

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  Science and Research

  Gene therapy research

  CERA is leading world-first research into gene therapies that could halt or even reverse vision loss in patients with conditions including inherited retinal diseases and glaucoma.

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• Watch the healthy ageing eyes online community forum

  NEWS

  Watch the healthy ageing eyes online community forum

  A free recording of CERA’s healthy ageing eyes online community forum is now available.

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  Vision is one of the most precious gifts we have. As we get older, we can experience changes to our eyes that can bring a risk of serious eye conditions. If left untreated, these diseases can potentially lead to significant vision loss and blindness.

  In this forum on 29 April 2021, CERA researchers Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden, Professor Robyn Guymer and Dr Jacqueline Beltz discuss some of the common eye diseases to be aware of as we get older, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic eye disease, cataract and more.

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  EYE HEALTH

  Eye Health Resources

  Free guides, tools and resources that provide essential information about eye conditions, protecting your vision and the research advances at CERA.

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• Celebrating two years of KeepSight

  NEWS

  Celebrating two years of KeepSight

  The national diabetes eye screening program has achieved impressive milestones in its first two years.

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  In just two years, more than 150,000 Australians with diabetes have registered for the national diabetes eye screening program KeepSight and over 40,000 reminder messages have been sent.

  The program’s recall and reminder system is helping to end avoidable vision loss for the 1.7 million Australians with diagnosed diabetes by making it easier for them to have regular eye checks.

  The Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) is the program’s research partner and has been closely involved in the initiative since its inception.

  CERA’s Deputy Director, Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden, was one of the founders of KeepSight. He says he was motivated to change how Australia manages screening for diabetes related eye disease after working in the UK and seeing the success of their program.

  “Advanced diabetes related eye disease is almost a thing of the past there,” he says.

  “Within ten years of rolling out the comprehensive screening program in the UK, diabetes fell from the leading cause of avoidable blindness in working-age adults to number three on the list,” he says.

  “It was a striking contrast to what I was seeing in the clinic at the Eye and Ear Hospital when I returned to Victoria after working in England. Often patients were presenting for their first eye check with end-stage disease that’s far harder to treat and the outcomes much poorer than if it was caught earlier.”

  The path to an Australian program

  Associate Professor van Wijngaarden said his first step was to forge a partnership with Diabetes Australia, the national representative organisation for people with diabetes. From there, they collaborated with stakeholders including Vision 2020 Australia and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and Optometry Australia (RANZCO) to design a national program.

  “We recognised that the major problem was that only half of Australians with known diabetes were getting their eyes checked at the recommended frequency. There was this big opportunity to mobilise people to get their eyes checked and then engage them in a system that would send them reminders when their next check is due,” he says.

  In 2019, KeepSight launched with funding provided by national optometry chain Specsavers and funding support and strong endorsement from the Australian Government for a public private partnership. Funding support has also been provided by other private sector partners.

  Accelerating KeepSight’s progress

  After the initial launch, Associate Professor van Wijngaarden said the team realised the KeepSight registration process needed to be streamlined to achieve the scale they had envisaged for the program and eventually reach all Australians with diabetes.

  “We incorporated KeepSight registration into the electronic medical record of Specsavers. The clinician would get a flag whenever someone with diabetes came in for an eye check and they would then be invited to register for KeepSight,” he says.

  “In terms of progress, we found that the registrations increased dramatically once we did that integration. We are committed to working with every optometry provider to achieving similar integration to make the process as simple as possible.”

  With registrant numbers expected to exceed 200,000 by mid-2021, the future of KeepSight is looking bright.

  2021 and beyond

  For Associate Professor van Wijngaarden, the goal is to reach even more people to help end preventable diabetes-related vision loss and blindness.

  “Ultimately there are 1.7 million people we’d like to register with KeepSight. We know that the hardest people to get engaged in the program are probably people that have the greatest need,” he says.

  “By making sure that firstly we get good coverage of people who are already engaged in eye care, it will enable us to identify who we then need to focus our efforts on,” he says.

  KeepSight is also making it even easier for people with diabetes to book in to get their eyes checked.

  “The average person with diabetes is making over 180 diabetes-related decisions every day. It can be really challenging,” says Associate Professor van Wijngaarden.

  “One of the things we’re doing at KeepSight is offering a ‘find a provider’ service. Through either the website or via SMS communications, people can simply follow a few clicks to find an eye care provider near them,” he says.

  As the program continues to grow, Associate Professor van Wijngaarden says they are already seeing early signs of its success.

  “We’ll have some proper data analysis coming out soon. But the initial impression is that return eye check visits are substantially higher when people are registered with KeepSight.”

  “It shows the reminders are working.”

  Participate in KeepSight

  If you have diabetes, you can ask your eye care provider to sign you up to the program. Or you can self-register via the KeepSight website.

  Health professionals can also register as a KeepSight healthcare provider.

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  EYE CONDITIONS

  Diabetic eye disease

  People with diabetes (types 1 and 2) are at increased risk of eye problems and vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema are the main forms of diabetic eye disease.

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• AMD research restores Win’s hope for the future

  Stories

  AMD research restores Win’s hope for the future

  Win Murphy has seen first-hand just how far age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research has advanced in one generation.

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  Win Murphy’s uncle once told her that ‘when the telephone lines go wobbly, you need to have your eyes checked’. So, when Win noticed her vision changing, she knew what was happening.

  “I felt the weight of my family history on my shoulders,” she says.

  Win’s father and his four siblings had all been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – an eye disease that is the leading cause of legal blindness in Australia. At 52, Win discovered she too had the early signs of AMD.

  “The first optometrist I saw was very blunt. ‘You’ve got AMD and you’re going to go blind. It’s as simple as that.’ I remember being absolutely devastated,” she says.

  Her family history with AMD spurred a desire to take part in a genetic study run by Professor Robyn Guymer AM, now the Deputy Director and Head of Macular Research at CERA, and Win’s dad’s treating doctor.

  “We were all invited to participate – my father, his brothers and sisters and all their grown-up children. We felt it was important. It was a different way to make a difference long-term,” she says.

  When Win’s eyesight deteriorated even further, she made an appointment with Professor Guymer and went on to participate in CERA’s world-first laser treatment clinical trial. The trial has yielded promising results using nanosecond laser technology to slow the progression of AMD.

  “It continues to amaze me how far research into AMD has come, thanks to CERA. I don’t know where I’d be without it. Most probably blind, just like the optometrist said.”

  

  Win Murphy took part in CERA’s laser treatment clinical trial for people with AMD.

  Advancing AMD treatment

   When Win’s father was diagnosed with AMD in 1992 there were no treatments available for the disease.

  “Back then, being given a diagnosis of AMD was not unlike telling someone they had an incurable disease. We had nothing to offer them. No way to slow down a patient’s vision loss,” says Professor Guymer.

  “Many people became distressed by fear and worry, of what the future would be like, which impacted on their health and quality of life.”

  “The field of research into retinal and macular diseases was wide open and since then much as been achieved by research,” she says.

  Thanks to this research, people with one form of late-AMD (wet AMD) can now access treatment that can help them maintain the best vision for as long as possible.

  However, there are still no effective treatments for the other form of late-AMD – dry AMD.

  CERA’s macular research team are hoping to create a brighter future for people like Win by transforming our understanding of dry AMD, preventing irreversible vision loss and one day find cures to restore sight.

  Win’s hope for the future

  Ten years after her laser treatment, the dark patch in the centre of Win’s eyes moved further over her central vision.

  Thankfully, Win may now have an opportunity to take part in another clinical trial, run by Professor Guymer.

  “I have a lot to look forward to and I’m excited about the possibility of taking part in the clinical trial. If I can get my current vision to hold where it is, I’d be absolutely delighted.”

  “It’s incredible how far AMD research has come since my father was first diagnosed. It continues to amaze me, and now I get the benefit. How good is that?”

  Tax Appeal 2021

  Help our researchers make breakthroughs and innovations that will transform our understanding and treatment of AMD – and give people like Win more moments with the ones they love.

  You can donate online at ‘Help CERA unlock the answers to AMD’.

  

  Professor Robyn Guymer and CERA’s macular research team are hoping to create a brighter future for people like Win.

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  EYE CONDITIONS

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

  In age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the cells responsible for central vision die away and bleeding can occur. This causes progressive vision loss in the later stages of the disease.

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• Keratoconus survey for national and international corneal specialists

  Research

  Keratoconus survey for national and international corneal specialists

  CERA is encouraging corneal specialists to take part in a survey investigating the diagnosis and management of keratoconus patients.

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  CERA is encouraging corneal specialists to take part in a survey investigating the diagnosis and management of keratoconus patients.

  Led by Dr Srujana Sahebjada, the survey aims to assess the approaches to management and diagnosis of keratoconus around the world.

  Dr Sahebjada leads CERA’s Keratoconus International Consortium, which brings together 40 keratoconus research teams from around the world.

  She says having a better understanding of global trends in treatment and diagnosis will ultimately lead to better treatment for patients.

  “Despite the increasing prevalence of keratoconus, there is no globally established system for diagnosing or classifying the disease,’’ she says.

  “There is also no globally accepted definition around disease progression or diagnosis and management criteria for the condition.

  “These survey results will help us understand the clinicians’ perspective of the condition and present the similarities and differences in global diagnostic and treatment of patients.’’

  Corneal specialists can take the Global Keratoconus Survey on the CERA website.

  The survey is for clinicians only. Patients interested in finding out more about CERA’s keratoconus research can read more about our Corneal Research or our work leading the Keratoconus International Consortium.

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  SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

  Corneal research

  Our corneal research team strives to improve all aspects of corneal transplantation, and develop better treatments for conditions such as Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy and keratoconus.

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  KERATOCONUS INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM

  About the KIC

  Established by CERA in 2016, the Keratoconus International Consortium (KIC) brings together over 40 corneal research groups around the world.

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• Gene therapy research repairs nerve transport systems damaged by glaucoma and dementia

  Research

  Gene therapy research repairs nerve transport systems damaged by glaucoma and dementia

  Scientists have used a new gene therapy technique to repair damage to nerve cell transport systems that cause vision loss in glaucoma and memory loss in dementia.

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  Results of the pre-clinical study, led by Professor Keith Martin from the Centre for Eye Research Australia and University of Melbourne and Dr Tasneem Khatib from the University of Cambridge, are published today in Science Advances.

  Researchers say the findings in experiments on mice show promise for developing new gene therapies to treat both glaucoma and dementia.

  But critically, the findings also demonstrate how gene therapies could treat complex neurodegenerative diseases that are caused multiple factors rather than a single genetic fault.

  “Currently many gene therapies are targeted at rare diseases caused by a single genetic fault, where a missing or damage gene can be replaced to treat the condition,’’ says Professor Martin.

  “More common neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma or dementia are much more complex and caused by a range of genetic and other contributing factors.

  “Although the research is in early stages, it shows promise for developing gene therapies for many of these common diseases to complement existing therapies.’’

  Axons and the optic nerve

  Professor Martin says the research also demonstrates gene therapy’s potential to support optic nerve function by improving its ability to transport vital materials and information between the eye and brain.

  Axons are long nerve fibres which transport electrical signals that allow nerve cells to communicate with other nerve cells and muscles.

  In many neurodegenerative diseases this transport system is disrupted, leading to chronic, progressive disease.

  In glaucoma, the breakdown of signal transmission along the optic nerve leads to vision loss and blindness. In dementia, the build-up of tau proteins ‘tangles’ in the brain disrupts vital communication between brain cells, causing memory loss and cognitive decline.

  About the research

  In pre-clinical experiments, the researchers tested a new gene therapy to determine if it could stimulate axon growth and improve optic nerve function.

  They combined two key molecules into a single viral vector and delivered it to mice affected by glaucoma and dementia.

  Before the therapy, both groups had impaired optic nerve function with reduced transmission of electrical signals between the eye and brain. Those with glaucoma also showed signs of reduced vision.

  However, after the therapy was delivered, optic nerve activity improved in both groups and the mice with glaucoma showed signs of improved vision.

  There was also a possible small improvement in the mice’s short-term memory, which researchers now plan to test in a larger study to confirm the effect.

  Combined gene therapy technique

  The study also took a new approach to delivering gene therapy by combining two molecules thought to improve axon function – brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) – in one treatment.

  Typically, most gene therapies deliver only one molecule or gene in a treatment.

  “Rather than using the standard gene therapy approach of replacing or repairing damaged genes, we used the technique to supplement molecules in the brain,’’ says Dr Khatib.

  “We reckoned that replacing two molecules that we know work effectively together would help to repair this transport network more effectively than delivering either one alone, and that is exactly what we found. “

  Dr Khatib noted that the combined approach led to a more sustained therapeutic effect, which is very important for the treatment of chronic degenerative diseases.

  More information

  The research was funded in the UK by Fight for Sight, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, the Cambridge Eye Trust, the Jukes Glaucoma Research Fund, Quethera Ltd, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Gates Cambridge Trust, Wellcome and the Medical Research Council (UK).

  Read the full study

  Khatib, TZ et al. Receptor-ligand supplementation via a self-cleaving 2A peptide-based gene therapy promotes CNS axon transport with functional recovery. Science Advances 31 March 2021.  

  Media contact

  Janine Sim-Jones

  [email protected]

  +61 420 886 511

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  News

  Gene therapy research regenerates optic nerve, bringing hope for future glaucoma treatment

  Researchers have used gene therapy to regenerate damaged optic nerve fibres in a discovery that could help treat glaucoma, one of the world’s leading causes of blindness.

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  Science and Research

  Gene therapy: bringing hope to people with vision loss

  In this video, learn about CERA’s research into gene therapies that could halt or even reverse vision loss in patients with conditions such as inherited retinal diseases and glaucoma.

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• Sale of Oculo, CERA’s first spin-out company

  News

  Sale of Oculo, CERA’s first spin-out company

  Oculo, the first spin-out company to be incubated at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, has been sold to Finnish ophthalmic diagnostics company Revenio.

   

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  Oculo was incubated at CERA by former Managing Director Professor Jonathan Crowston and Dr Kate Taylor before being spun out as a separate entity in 2015.

  A teleophthalmology and clinical communication platform company, Oculo focuses on telehealth, remote monitoring and clinical communications.

  The Oculo platform is designed to share clinical imaging, referrals, and other clinical correspondence securely and instantly between health care professionals.

  It now has a user base of over seven out of 10 eye care providers in Australia and New Zealand, has managed over a million patients and is the partner for KeepSight.

  Current CERA Managing Director Professor Keith Martin says a major part of CERA’s mission is to develop new technologies to improve eye health.

  “We are so proud that Oculo, our first spin-out company, is having such success in revolutionising communication between eye care professionals,’’ he says.

  “Now, with Revenio’s strategy and support, we look forward to seeing even greater impact in the future.”

  Professor Martin says the success of Oculo highlights the positive impact of commercialising promising research findings, enabling them to be translated into clinical practice to benefit patients.

  He says CERA actively encourages its researchers to innovate and accelerate the progress of new treatments and technologies from the lab to the eye clinic.

  More recently, CERA supported the incubation of the spin-out company Enlighten Imaging, which is developing a simple eye test to detect the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

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  About US

  Our collaborations and partnerships

  Collaboration is critical to research success and we have a range of strategic and commercial partnerships with research and health organisations, corporate supporters, industry partners and spin-out companies incubated at CERA.

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• Remembering Professor Ian Flett Robertson OAM (1928-2021)

  STORIES

  Remembering Professor Ian Flett Robertson OAM (1928-2021)

  CERA celebrates the life of Professor Ian Robertson OAM and acknowledges his contribution to the Lions Eye Donation Service.

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  Professor Ian Robertson (1928–2021) will always be recognised for his extraordinary work establishing the Lions Eye Bank of Victoria (now known as the Lions Eye Donation Service) and restoring the sight of hundreds of Australians.

  He raised funds to set the wheels in motion for the eye bank, advocated for reforms to revolutionise organ donations and set up the framework for managing corneal donations in Victoria.

  For many years, Professor Robertson worked at the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital Victoria and founded its corneal clinic.

  He also worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Fred Hollows Foundation and the Aboriginal Eye Health in the Northern Territory. He was an active member of the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, organising several congresses.

  At that time, he was responsible for eye donations in Victoria.

  An encounter with a patient, who was then a District Governor of the Lions Club in Victoria, led to the Club supporting the eye bank.

  Since then, more than 7000 people have enjoyed better sight from corneal donations.

  A pioneering mind, a caring heart

  Professor Robertson had a leading-edge approach to his work.

  A defining achievement was pursuing the compulsory HIV testing of donated tissues in the 1980s.

  The logistics were huge, but it resulted in corneal donations in Victoria as the first place in Australia to test for HIV.

  This dedication to quality and safety was not limited to his clinical work.

  Long before the internet, he created a manual for how corneal donations were to be done and diligently kept a log of donations and transplants. These documents are still available at the Lions Eye Donation Service at CERA.

  Dr Graeme Pollock OAM, director of the Lions Eye Donation Service recalls the time he joined the eye bank in the early 1990s.

  “Ian Robertson was always trying to do what’s best for his patients,” says Dr Pollock. “He was a generous person. I received enormous encouragement and praise from him.”

  His students and patients always said good things about him.

  Dr Mark Ellis AM, who was one of Professor Robertson’s registrars and co-workers for years was witness to this.

  “After Ian retired, he worked in my clinic doing a few sessions a week and he was popular among patients,” recalls Dr Ellis. “The proof was that Ian would get more Christmas presents from patients than me!”

  Dr Robertson’s daughter Amanda, a renal surgeon, witnessed this passion for patient care.

  “Dad loved his work and patients,” says Amanda. “He was a very kind and smart gentleman, and a loyal friend. He was also a perfect husband, father and grandfather.”

  Pursuing interests outside of work

  A ‘quiet’ and ‘humble’ person, few would expect the range of interests he pursued. Dr Robertson enjoyed fly fishing and often went to New Zealand to fish. He was a great conversationalist and relished stories on a range of topics. He loved listening to opera and when his vision failed, classical music became his focus.

  He also loved to travel with his partner Joan. Often he would come back from these trips with photographs and used them to paint scenery, which he kept in his gallery.

  A colleague, mentor and father, Professor Robertson leaves behind a legacy to many.

  Dr Ellis who remained very good friends with Professor Robertson sums it up: “He was a good example of a clinical academic doctor, who had great compassion and time for his patients and colleagues. He lacked self-importance and pomposity, which many people could really take a leaf out of his example.”

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  A CERA collaboration

  The Lions Eye Donation Service

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• Researching pieces of the protein puzzle

  SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

  Researching pieces of the protein puzzle

  Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez’s study at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet advances knowledge of the role of a critical protein.

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  Mitochondria are the powerpacks in our cells that produce the energy they need to function. Our eyes do a lot of work, so eye cells require a massive amount of this energy.

  When defects occur in mitochondria, energy production stops, making the eye nerve cells, in particular, vulnerable. This increases the risk of these cells dying and could lead to loss of vision.

  Mitochondria are unique in that they have their own protein-making machinery.

  Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez, who leads CERA’s mitochondrial biology and disease research,  has been researching the pieces of this ‘protein puzzle’ to understand the factors that lead to mitochondrial disease, some of which have shown strong links to degenerative eye diseases.

  Now along with her research on Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy  and other disease-causing genes in people with vision loss, she has published a study which shows how a particular protein (GTPBP5) interacts with other proteins in the mitochondria.

  This interaction may play a role in the formation of defective particles in the mitochondria (mutations) that could translate to human disease.

  The study of GTPBP5 is in early stages. However, the findings from Dr Lopez Sanchez’s study have the potential to uncover new factors and interactions in mitochondria that could provide clues for better detection of genetic disorders of the nervous system.

  It could also identify specific treatments to stop or modify the effect of mutations.

  Dr Lopez Sanchez worked with a research team at Karolinska Institutet, led by Assistant Professor Joanne Rorbach.

  “The work we did was discovery science,” Dr Lopez Sanchez explains. “This type of mechanistic study may lead to better understanding of degeneration in the nerve cells including those in the optic nerve and could uncover clues to improved diagnosis of conditions and targeted treatments including for those that save sight.”

  Dr Lopez Sanchez’s research was published this year in the journal Nucleic Acid Research.

  You can read the full study ‘Human GTPBP5 is involved in the late stage of mitoribosome large subunit assembly’: doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaa1131

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  SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

  Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) research

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• Glaucoma surgery makes life brighter for Irene

  STORIES

  Glaucoma surgery makes life brighter for Irene

  Glaucoma surgery gave Irene Athanassiou the precious gift of keeping her sight, allowing her to continue doing all things she loves – like going out dancing with her husband, George.

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  For Irene Athanassiou, seeing clearly makes all the simple things in life shine brighter.

  Whether she’s cooking delicious foods from her Greek heritage, going out dancing with her husband and their friends, knitting a scarf for her daughter, or just reading a magazine, she thanks her glaucoma surgery for saving her vision and allowing her to experience the full richness of everyday life.

  “My vision is now even better than it was before,” she says.

  A dressmaker by trade, with a wonderful skill for beading, Irene came to Australia from Egypt in 1960. Here she married her husband, George, and had a daughter, Yvonne.

  About five years ago, Irene was having her routine eye check when her optometrist found that something wasn’t quite right.

  Like many people over the age of 50, Irene had signs of glaucoma, a common ageing eye condition that affects the optic nerve, the connection between the eye and the brain. If left untreated, it can lead to vision loss and eventually blindness.

  Catching glaucoma early gives you the best chance of saving your sight. Irene went to a specialist and started eye drop medication, which aims to lower the fluid pressure in the eye. For many patients, this can be an effective way to slow or even stop vision loss.

  Unfortunately, for Irene the eye drops weren’t enough to slow the progression of her condition. The next recommended treatment option for her was surgery, which was performed by Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin, a glaucoma specialist who leads CERA’s ocular fibrosis research.

  

  Glaucoma research helped Irene Athanassiou continue doing the things she loves.

  A challenging surgery with great results

  Like the eye drop medication, glaucoma surgery aims to reduce fluid pressure in the eye to protect the optic nerve from further damage. To do this, surgeons create a new ‘drain’ in the eye that can help release the excess fluid.

  This surgery is usually very effective, but like all surgeries, it comes with risks. For Irene, going ahead with the operation was a big decision.

  “There was a risk that I would lose my sight, because one of my eyes did not have very good vision anyway. It was my good eye that they were trying to fix,” Irene says. “It was stressful at the time, but Jennifer explained everything and made me feel calm and comfortable.”

  The operation was challenging, but Irene recovered fully and is thrilled with the results.

  “I am very happy with my surgery and I am glad that I did it. For me, the benefits far outweighed the risks.”

  Her daughter, Yvonne, agrees. “She does a lot of activities like knitting, cooking and reading, and it really shows how good her vision is now,” she says. “We go out and she can read street signs clearly – it’s amazing.”

  Research to improve glaucoma surgery

  Seeing patients like Irene enjoy their vision is what drives Dr Fan Gaskin’s passion for her work.

  “I’m determined to do everything in my power to stop people with glaucoma from losing their sight,” she says. “My research aims to find new treatments and discover new ways to improve glaucoma surgery by controlling scarring, which will give patients a better chance of a successful outcome.”

  Irene says she is extremely grateful for Dr Fan Gaskin’s care, and for ongoing research that will help other people with glaucoma in the future.

  Now she’s spreading the word about the importance of glaucoma screening, to make sure others can catch it early and benefit from treatment like she did.

  “I tell all my friends to make sure they have regular eye checks,” Irene says. “Vision is so important and I am very happy that surgery could help me.”

   

  Glaucoma Appeal 2021

  Help our research team develop life-changing therapies so more people with glaucoma like Irene can see clearly.
  You can donate online at cera.org.au/glaucoma-appeal-2021

  

  Seeing patients like Irene enjoy their vision is what drives Dr Fan Gaskin’s passion for her work.

  Related Pages

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  NEWS

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