Operation that cures blindness in blink of an eye
A 15-MINUTE local anaesthetic operation is about to transform treatment for glaucoma, a blinding condition that affects more than 500,000 people in Britain.
Surgeons can now insert a heated wand in the eye and use pulses of electricity to drain fluid.
There was no pain and I was able to drive very soon after. I’m absolutely delighted
The minimal-risk technique could benefit 20,000 glaucoma patients a year, and save the NHS huge sums.
Surgeon Jonathan Rossiter from Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, who has pioneered the technique, said: “It transforms treatment of this condition. Patients love it and to be able to remove a cataract at the same time is also fantastic.”
Retired Somerset farmer Ralph Waterer, 82,who has had the op, said: “There was no pain and I was able to drive very soon after. I’m absolutely delighted.”