Clinical researchers at University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital have discovered that ocular injections containing HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) can be used to manage hypotony.1
This rare condition is characterised by abnormally low eye pressure, which alters the eye’s normal shape and internal structure. Over time, this can lead to progressive and permanent vision loss, often taking several years to result in blindness. Hypotony may develop as a result of underlying eye conditions that damage the part of the eye responsible for producing the fluid that maintains normal eye pressure.
HPMC – a low-cost gel used in most eye surgery – can be safely used to increase the volume of eyes with hypotony, increasing both their size and pressure
Until now, the standard treatment for eyes losing vision from low pressure has been to fill them with silicone oil. This has many benefits but is not ideal as it can be toxic to eye structures over long periods of time and is difficult to see through.
The study2 published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology indicates that ocular injections containing HPMC – a low-cost gel used in most eye surgery – can be safely used to increase the volume of eyes with hypotony, increasing both their size and pressure.
And, in addition to restoring the eye’s anatomy, seven of the eight patients who received the treatment experienced improvements in vision, eye pressure and length restoration after a twelve-month course of treatment. These all came from the world’s first dedicated hypotony clinic, enabled by funding from Moorfields Eye Charity.
Moorfields consultant ophthalmologist Harry Petrushkin, lead author of the study, said: “We are excited that this simple treatment has proved so effective for patients with this rare condition. This is the start of a process of understanding more about the balance of fluid inside the eye, leading to improved care for our patients.”
Co-author Professor Gus Gazzard (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital) described the new therapy as “truly transformative” and one that “brings hope to patients otherwise without options, for what was previously an untreatable blinding and disfiguring condition”.
“This robust proof of principle study has already exceeded my hopes of what sight recovery might be achievable.
“I hope that we shall be able to make it more widely available to more patients very soon, but of course these are early steps, and more hard work will be needed, not least to raise the funds needed to optimise this treatment.”
References
- World-first project shows great promise to treat low eye pressure available at ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jan/world-first-project-shows-great-promise-treat-low-eye-pressure [accessed Jan 2026]
- Orsine Murta Dias K, Yang E, Calcagni A, et al. Novel therapeutic strategies to restore vision in ocular hypotony (STRETCH): results from a prospective pilot series. British Journal of Ophthalmology Published Online First: 11 January 2026. doi: 10.1136/bjo-2025-327866.
