A research team from UCL and the University of Oxford have successfully used magnets implanted behind a person's eyes to treat nystagmus.
The case study reportedly included the implantation of a newly-developed set of magnets in the socket beneath each eye of one patient with nystagmus. The team reportedly developed a prosthesis involving one magnet which is implanted on the orbital floor, and interacts with a smaller magnet sutured to one of the extraocular muscles that controls the eye's movement.
After implantation, the patient reported that the oscillopsia improved, although he had a degree of double vision — a symptom which he had developed before the nystagmus. Testing reportedly showed the patient's overall visual acuity was substantially improved, and there has been no negative impact on his functional range of movement. And after four years, the patient's symptoms reportedly remained stable and he has managed to return to paid employment and daily activities.
The research team is reportedly now recruiting for a larger study at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The study was recently published in the journal Ophthalmology.
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Source: UCL (University College London)