If you’ve been diagnosed with a Pterygium, then you may be concerned about the cosmetic effects of the condition, the lack of available treatments and the day-to-day discomforts that you might be currently experiencing. You may also be wondering what it is.
A Pterygium is a growth that develops on the white part of your eye (known as the conjunctiva). It's a noncancerous growth and is often shaped like a wedge. In some cases, a pterygium can grow to cover the cornea.
Pterygium is a very common condition that affects 1 in 10 people in the world, and in some countries this number even rises to 1 in 4. It hasn’t been clearly established what causes Pterygium. All that is known is that dry weather, sun exposure, and viral infection seem to be risk factors.
As you may be unfortunate enough to realise, Pterygium often causes symptoms of dry eye and an uncomfortable feeling of grittiness, as if grains of sand have somehow found their way into the eye. While this is unpleasant, many sufferers are equally dismayed by the unwelcome cosmetic effects that Pterygium can bring, with noticeable white growths and eyes that often become red. Vision itself can often be affected too by astigmatism, which must be corrected with eyeglasses.
Historically, the only known cure for Pterygium has been surgery, which carries the risk of scar formation. Scarring frequently aggravates the dry eye condition and unfortunately, even after surgery, in more than half of all cases, the Pterygium returns anyway.
How is it usually treated?
Because of the scarring risks associated with surgery, and the fact that the Pterygium often recurs, surgery is usually only considered as a last resort. It is typically reserved for those cases where the symptoms have not been improved already by treatment with various types of eye drops, where the Pterygium is growing rapidly and threatening vision, or where the cosmetic effects are too distressing for the sufferer.
Pterygium is often treated with NSAID drops (such as indomethacin) and lubricating eye drops. If infection occurs, antibiotic eye drops are also needed and when the Pterygium becomes inflamed, cortisone (steroid) eye drops are used. The use of steroids requires very close monitoring of intraocular pressure, as they can lead to the development of glaucoma, a very difficult to treat eye disorder that may lead to blindness.
Despite all of these unwelcome symptoms and effects, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. In 2012, a new breakthrough in treating Pterygium was made: the safe, well-established heart-drug, Dipyridamole was found to be an effective treatment for managing both Pterygium and dry eye. In the case of Pterygium, the results included a visibly noticeable improvement of physical appearance of patients’ eyes, delivering relief for an aspect so emotionally difficult to deal with.
About Dipyridamole Eye drops
For 60 years, Dipyridamole (also known as Persantin® or Curantyl®) has been safely used by tens of millions of patients to treat angina (a heart condition) and the typical daily oral dose is between 200mg and 400mg. In 2012 it was discovered that when Dipyridamole is prepared in a heavily diluted eye drop form it produces excellent results in treating dry eye and Pterygium. This is good news, not only because there is now a convenient and effective alternative to surgery, but because it uses a tiny dosage of an already well established and safe drug.
To put this in perspective, consider that each drop contains only 1/50,000th of the daily oral dose that a heart patient would receive. This is a margin of safety unparalleled by any other pharmaceutical eye drop. Restasis® (the only approved drug for dry eye - an immune suppressant) and Vigamox® (an antibiotic drug for eye infection) are used in a range of 1/400 - 1/800 of the oral dose. This should go a long way to allaying any concerns that you might have about trying a new treatment. Essentially, it’s a well-known drug, tried and trusted, but applied in a miniscule dose.
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This valuable discovery with the potential to ease the suffering of tens of millions of patients globally, was made by an Israeli scientist and drug-repurposing expert, Moshe Rogosnitzky. In order to enable mass-distribution of the Dipyridamole eyedrops, regulatory approval needs to be applied for in every country, a slow and tedious process. But if you prefer not to wait, there is a way to secure a supply much more quickly.
Get immediate access to these effective new eye drops
Since Dipyridamole is a well-recognized and approved drug that has been used in humans for over 60 years, immediate patient-access to the drops is available. Selected manufacturers have been granted licenses to produce and ship them to patients worldwide, and many thousands of sufferers are already successfully managing their Pterygium with Dipyridamole eyedrops. So, to receive your own up-to-date list of verified and reliable suppliers, please complete this form.