Ludhiana, May 22
The Eye Department in the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), here, headed by Dr G.S. Bajwa, has been successfully using a new drug called Lucentis (Ranibizumab) for people suffering from macular diseases.
Assistant professor of ophthalmology Dr Sumeet Chopra said macular diseases were increasingly becoming a common cause of visual loss in middle-aged and elderly people.
“Macula is a very sensitive part of retina and is responsible for fine reading, writing and ability to appreciate colours. The retina gets damaged in conditions like diabetes, hypertension, age-related macular degeneration and inflammations of the retina,” he added.
Citing a recent case, Dr Chopra said a 50-year old patient K.L. Ganjoo, a resident of Jalandhar, was brought to the DMCH with a sudden diminution of vision in the right eye.
The patient was treated with a special laser known as photo-dynamic therapy (PDT) and was also given an intra-vitreal injection (inside the eye) of a new drug called Lucentis Ranibizumab, which was the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proved drug for this condition. Though the cost of the drug was high, but it justified the benefits, which a patient gets in return, he said.
Dr Chopra, who has been using this procedure for quite some time now, said the new drug was a great boon for the patients with macular diseases.
