Project could
save eyesight
of thousands

Experts from Sheffield University have launched a project with counterparts in Hyderabad to tackle corneal infections.

Many patients in India are
diagnosed too late to save their vision but new easy-to-use
technology has been developed to aid rapid diagnosis and treatment.

A team from the university has designed a process allowing bacteria to be removed from the cornea.

New funding from the Wellcome Trust will extend research to examine how to treat infections triggered by fungi.

Prof Steve Rimmer, from the university’s Department of Chemistry, said: “Thousands of patients lose their eyes because of late diagnosis in India and the developing world.

“The issues are especially acute in rural areas where access to primary eye care is limited.

“Lack of facilities also means that when treatment is commenced early clinicians are forced to simply use multiple mixtures of drugs, such as antibiotics and of course this increases the rate at which pathogens develop resistance.

“The system can be applied without laboratory facilities and results would be obtained within an hour, allowing medical staff to quickly provide the right therapy in the field.”