The new drops that could help save eyesight and avoid the need for surgery
New eyedrops are being tested for a condition commonly known as surfer's eye with the hope of delaying or avoiding the need for surgery.
Australia has one of the highest rates of pterygium in the world, affecting one in every 100 people.
The fleshy, wing-shaped growth on the surface of the eye is often the result of years of sun exposure.
Australia has one of the highest rates of pterygium in the world, affecting one in every 100 people. 9News
Surfers and older Australians are more prone to developing the condition.
A person who has a pterygium on the eye is also 24 percent more likely to develop melanoma on the skin.
"This is a disease that we believe is largely caused by exposure to ultra violet light," said Sydney ophthalmologist Professor Minas Coroneo.
"About 90 percent of professional surfers get this condition and in Los Angeles it's actually called surfer's eye," he said.
The benign lesion can cause redness and irritation, but it can also lead to vision loss.
"As it grows, it pulls on the cornea and distorts it and causes a form of astigmatism and in extreme cases it can grow all the way across and block your sight directly," Prof Coroneo said.
The fleshy, wing-shaped growth on the surface of the eye is often the result of years of sun exposure. 9News
New eye drops are being tested for a condition commonly known as surfer's eye. 9News
Current treatments which include steroid drops or other anti-inflammatory medication often have side-effects if used long-term.
Surgery has varied results in relation to regrowth rates, depending on the techniques used.
Ophthalmologists in NSW, Victoria, QLD and WA are investigating the use of eye drops that are reformulated from a drug called nintedanib which is used to tackle a type of lung cancer.
"The drug knocks off some of the blood vessels that are growing or most of them and also stops some of the scarring," Prof Coroneo said.
The Sydney team is looking for another 30 patients to take part in the trial.
The doses used for the eye study are miniscule compared to the drug's use in oncology.
"At the levels that have been calculated, we think it's very safe," he said.
For more information email Dr Lien Tat: clinical@onestream.com.au or call (02) 93999211 during office hours.
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