Optegra on Ozurdex

28 April 2011

Optegra is aware that the UK Sunday Express and subsequently The Times of India printed an article dated 26 April 2011 with the headline Eye Jab ‘Cures Blindness’, featuring information about a steroid implant treatment that is available at our Optegra Yorkshire Eye Hospital.

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience or misunderstanding that this article has caused and would like to clarify that the headline, devised by the publication, was in fact misleading, as this treatment is not a cure for blindness.

We would like to take this opportunity to reassure our patients that we pride ourselves on the quality of our advice and the stringency of our clinical assessments and deeply regret the fact that this misleading headline has resulted in some confusion.

Ozurdex - the steroid implant referred to in the article - may be effective in treating a number of conditions which can lead to poor vision, such as Macular Oedema. Swelling (Oedema) of the Macula (the central part of the retina) can arise from a number of different conditions, the most common being;

• Retinal vein occlusion - thrombosis of a vein in the retina which affects around 20,000 patients per year in the UK – Ozurdex is only licensed to treat adults with macular edema following branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) or central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO)

• NOTE: Ozurdex’s use for other conditions listed below, is still subject to clinical research, and currently not undertaken by Optegra.

• Diabetic eye disease (diabetic maculopathy) , a common cause of vision decline in diabetic patients

• Other disorders of the blood vessels in the retina

• Inflammation related swelling (uveitis or iritis)

• Wet age related macular degeneration (wet AMD)

If you have any further queries about this or any other ophthalmic treatment, please contact a member of our team on 0800 358 0825. Further information on the treatment outlined above can also be found at www.ozurdex.com


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