A revolutionary 'miracle' injection has successfully restored a woman's vision after her eye 'crumpled like a paper bag' due to a rare condition. Nicki Guy, a 47-year-old from London, had been forced to give up driving after developing hypotony, or critically low eye pressure, which severely damaged her sight.
A 'Phenomenal' Medical Breakthrough
Nicki became the first patient to undergo a pioneering treatment project led by specialists at the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. The innovative procedure involved injecting her eye with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a clear, low-cost gel commonly used in surgery to maintain the eye's shape.
"With hypotony, your eye basically crumples like a paper bag," Nicki explained. "The vision was there, the signal between my optic nerve and my brain was there. It was just this collapse of the structure." The gel effectively 'pumped up' her eye, restoring the necessary pressure.
A Long Road to Recovery
Nicki's eye problems began shortly after the birth of her son when she was diagnosed with chronic anterior uveitis, a condition causing inflammation. She was symptom-free for years until complications arose in 2017. By 2021, her sight had deteriorated so much she had to surrender her driving licence.
Traditional treatment for hypotony involves silicone oil injections, but these can cause toxicity. The Moorfields team, including consultant ophthalmologist Harry Petrushkin, pioneered the use of HPMC as a safer alternative. Nicki was one of eight patients who received injections every two weeks for a year starting in May 2019.
Mr Petrushkin noted that before treatment, Nicki's eyesight was so poor she "could just about see your hand waving in front of her eye."
Restored Vision and a New Future
The results have been life-changing. "There's none of that murkiness, the pressure is there," Nicki said. Her restored vision means she can now pursue activities she loves, like photography, and she has already taken her son skiing.
Most significantly, she is on the cusp of regaining her independence. "I'm so close to being able to drive again with my vision in my left eye. That's phenomenal success," she stated. "If it stays like this for the rest of my life, I would just be exceedingly happy."
While the treatment successfully restored sight in her left eye, Nicki lost vision in her right eye last year due to an unrelated retinal detachment. However, prior HPMC injections in that eye had also been successful.
The experience led Nicki to a new career as a communications officer for the sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust. She expressed enormous gratitude to the Moorfields team, adding, "I know that they've now rolled this out to other patients in the clinic who have also had quite a lot of success with it."
