Intravitreal Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose Improves Vision in Hypotony

THURSDAY, Jan. 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Intravitreal hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) improves vision and restores ocular anatomy in patients with chronic structural hypotony, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Karla Orsine Murta Dias, from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, and colleagues conducted a prospective interventional case series involving eight patients with chronic structural hypotony for more than three months, defined by an intraocular pressure (IOP) <6.5 mm Hg. Patients received multiple intravitreal HPMC injections administered every two to four weeks. Participants were followed for 12 months after the first intravitreal injection.

The researchers found that in 87.5 percent of the eyes, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) improved, and one eye remained stable. The BCVA range was 0.3 to 1.7 LogMAR initially and 0.1 to 1.6 LogMAR at final follow-up. In 87.5 percent of eyes, IOP increased from an initial range of 1 to 5 mm Hg to 3 to 23 mm Hg. In 75 percent of eyes, axial length increased, with a median increase of 1 mm. There were two adverse events: uveitis flare-ups leading to loss of HPMC clarity in two eyes, which was managed with topical and intravitreal steroids, and two cases of temporary vision loss postinjection, which resolved after paracentesis.

“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,” lead author Harry Petrushkin, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., also from Moorfields Eye Hospital, said in a statement.

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