An IHE Summer Studentship project based at Moorfields Eye Hospital is helping to advance the treatment of ocular hypotony – a condition where pressure is the eye is reduced to the point where normal vision is impaired.
Doctors at Moorfields have pioneered a new treatment consisting of hydrogel injections into the eye, increasing eye pressure, and as a result, improving eye function. Many patients have regained the ability to read after decades of visual impairment.
In collaboration with UCL Mechanical Engineering, the team have been developing a computational model of the human eye which allow clinicians to trial new or different injection methods without putting patients at risk.
Summer student, Layn Long-Leather spent eight weeks working closely with the Moorfields and UCL team. This was not Layn’s first time at Moorfields; having already been volunteering there for several months, this project was an excellent merging of their interests.
“It's really useful to have a direct line to the clinic where I could ask all my questions and see how I could merge the clinical and the mechanical side to get the results."
"I think having something that's so patient-focused, where you actually get to interact with the patients, has really motivated me to continue down this path"
Dr Karla Orsine Murta Dias, an ophthalmologist based at Moorfields Eye Hospital. Alongside, Mr Harry Petrushkin, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon, she was one of Layn’s clinical supervisors.
“This project is very special for our team. This is the only treatment for this condition that’s been done in the whole world. So, it’s something very innovative and we have good results.
“It’s been an incredible experience supervising a summer student and I would encourage other clinicians to take part. I'm learning from Layn, Layn is learning from me; it’s great doing things in partnership with engineers.”
