Experimental Cataract Lens Can Treat Glaucoma Through Time-Release Drugs

Key TakeawaysAn experimental cataract lens can help treat glaucomaThe lens is equipped with time-release pads of glaucoma medicationPeople who got the experimental lenses had eye pressure comparable to those who used glaucoma eyedrops.TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — An experimental cataract lens also can help treat a person’s glaucoma, new clinical trial results show.The artificial lenses carry small pads of a widely used glaucoma drug called bimatoprost, which is released gradually into the eye, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).After a year, patients who got the experimental lenses had about the same eye pressure as those who received a standard cataract lens and took twice-daily eyedrops for their glaucoma, researchers found.Nearly all of the patients who received the drug-releasing lens did not need to take any other medications for their glaucoma, researchers added."Imagine being able to treat two of the most common eye diseases, cataract and glaucoma, in one sitting," researcher Dr. Jeffrey Kammer, an ophthalmologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, said in a news release. "There is simply nothing like it in development."Glaucoma robs people of sight as fluid pressure inside the eye increases, damaging the optic nerve. Lowering that pressure is the only proven way to slow the disease, with people prescribed daily eyedrops as a first measure.But it’s tough to keep up with drops taken once or twice a day, researchers said. "Daily eye drops can be challenging to administer consistently," Kammer said.However, many aging people also suffer from cataracts, which involves the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. Surgery to remove cataracts and implant replacement lenses has become one of the most common and predictable operations in the world, researchers noted.This gave researchers an idea — why not infuse artificial lenses with glaucoma meds?"The idea of a drug-eluting lens that could provide sustained medication after cataract surgery is particularly compelling,” Kammer said.For the early-phase clinical trial, researchers recruited 106 people with glaucoma or high fluid pressure inside their eyes who were also scheduled for cataract surgery.Three-quarters of the patients were randomly assigned to receive the experimental lenses, which were equipped to deliver either a low or high dose of bimatoprost. The remaining quarter of patients got a standard replacement lens followed by twice-daily drops of the glaucoma drug timolol.After a year, eye pressure had dropped to 15.9 mmHg in the higher-dose group, 14.8 mmHg in the lower-dose group, and 15.7 mmHg in the group with a standard lens and eye drops, results showed.More than 95% of patients with the drug-releasing lens needed no glaucoma medication after a year, researchers added."I was more encouraged than surprised by how closely the interim 12-month findings aligned with the first-in-human results," Kammer said. "Seeing similar outcomes across these studies provides reassuring evidence that the treatment effect is being replicated as the program progresses."Patients in this trial will be followed for three years, and two larger follow-up clinical trials are now underway, researchers said."Longer-term follow-up will be important for understanding the durability of pressure control as well as safety," Kammer said. "Glaucoma treatment is moving toward solutions that could make managing the disease simpler."Researchers presented these findings Sunday at the AAO meeting in New Orleans.Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.More informationThe Cleveland Clinic has more on glaucoma.SOURCE: American Academy of Ophthalmology, news release, Oct. 10, 2026..What This Means For YouPeople with both glaucoma and cataracts could benefit from an experimental new cataract lens that releases glaucoma meds..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Experimental Cataract Lens Can Treat Glaucoma Through Time-Release Drugs

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