VOA慢速英語: 細針治療眼部疾病

細針治療眼部疾病

A microneedle used to inject glaucoma medications into the eye is shown next to a conventional hypodermic needle. (Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek)

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness around the world. In the United States alone, more than two million people suffer from the disease.

青光眼是世界導致失明的第二大原因。僅僅在美國，就有200多萬人受這個疾病折磨。

Glaucoma results from an over-production of fluid in the eye. The buildup of fluid causes uncomfortable pressure in the eye socket, which can lead to blindness.

青光眼是因為眼中的房水（房水為無色透明的液體，屬于組織液的一種，充滿前后房，約有0.15～0.3ml，它含有營養(yǎng)，可維持眼內壓力。）分泌過多，房水的積累會給眼窩造成壓力，使其不舒服，而且還會導致失明。

Glaucoma can be controlled with eye drops that either reduce the fluid, increase the flow of tears from the eye or both. But studies show only 56 percent of patients use the drops every day. If doctors need to inject medicine into the eye for other conditions, they generally use a hypodermic needle. But that can cause a painful or uneasy feeling in some patients.

青光眼可以通過滴眼液減少房水，使眼淚增多。但是研究發(fā)現只有56%的病人每天使用滴眼液。如果因為其它情況，醫(yī)生需要往眼中注射藥物的話，他們通常會使用皮下注射針。但是注射的話會有點疼或者給一些病人帶來不舒服的感覺。

Now, researchers are developing very small needles that may offer a more effective and painless treatment for glaucoma and other eye diseases. The needles are only about point-four to point-seven millimeters long. These instruments, called microneedles, can put medication into the front of the eye, exactly where it is needed. Its developers say injections of time-release drugs every three to six months could replace daily glaucoma eye drops.

現在，研究者正在研發(fā)一種微型針，這種針可以更有效地治療病人的青光眼和其它一些眼部疾病。這種針只有0.4——0.7毫米長。這些治療工具叫做微型針，可以把藥物注射到眼里真正需要的地方。研發(fā)者稱每3-6個月注射這種隨時間發(fā)揮藥效的藥可以取代每天往眼里滴藥水。

Mark Prausnitz is director of the Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He helped develop the microneedles in a joint project with researchers at Emory University. He says the tiny needles are a better way to deliver medicine than an eye dropper.

馬克·普勞斯尼茨是喬治亞科技研究所藥物設計、研發(fā)、輸送中心的主任。他與艾莫利大學的研究員一起參與微型針研發(fā)項目。他說微型針比要藥水能夠更有效的往眼中輸送藥物。

“What the microneedle enables is a very targeted delivery, to put the drug just in the spot where it needs to be within the eye so that the drug is as effective and potent as possible where the drug needs to act. And the drug doesn’t go to other places in the eye where it can cause side effects.”

“微型針能夠更明確藥物的目標，能夠把藥物送到眼中需要的地方，這樣藥物能有效發(fā)揮作用。而且藥物不會引起眼中其它部位的副作用。”

Being able to target the drug means that less medicine is needed. The microneedles are either hollow or empty, like a normal hypodermic needle, or covered with a drug which breaks down in the eye.

藥物能夠直接輸送到眼部需要的地方，這就是說不用那么多的藥。微型針不是中空或者空的，它就像注射針頭或者包裹著藥，而藥物在眼中分解。

Researchers tested the treatment on mice. Mark Prausnitz says the microneedles were successful in treating both glaucoma and the growth of unwanted blood vessels around the cornea. The condition is called corneal neovascularization.

研究者在老鼠身上進行治療試驗。馬克·普勞斯尼茨稱微型針能夠有效治療青光眼和眼角膜周圍有害的血管生長，這種情況叫做眼角膜新血管形成。

“One was a glaucoma drug where we were able to control the pressure inside of the eye. The other was a drug that stops blood vessel growth. And so when there was abnormal blood vessel growth going into the cornea due to an injury, we were able to administer that drug and suppress the blood vessel growth.”

“一種青光眼藥能夠控制眼中的高眼壓，另一種藥能夠阻止血管的擴張。所以，什么時候眼角膜出現不正常的血管生長就會對眼睛造成傷害，我們能夠提供壓制血管生長的藥物。”

Dr. Prausnitz says some people may find the microneedles uncomfortable despite their size. But he says an anesthetic drug could be used so that a patient does not feel any pain.

普勞斯尼茨說盡管微型針很小，但是一些人還是覺得不舒服。不過他說治療時會使用麻藥，這樣病人就不會感覺到疼痛。

The solid needle for treatment of glaucoma is still being tested.

這種治療青光眼的微型針仍在測試中。

A report on the needle technology was published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

關于這項微型針技術的報告發(fā)表在《眼科學研究和視力學》期刊上。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

我是喬納森·伊凡斯。

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Words in This Story

anesthetic – n. a drug that causes a person to lose feeling and to feel no painin part or all of the body

cornea – n. the clear outer covering of the eyeball

fluid – n. any substance that can flow, such as a liquid

hypodermic needle - n. a thin, hollow needle used for giving people injections

socket – n. a hollow part in a bone that holds an eye, a tooth, or another bone