Mass Eye & Ear MGD Trial

[sazy123]

HI im looking into anti V therapy...

I understand this doctor is researching it?

is she able to prescribe it, in the same way she is able to prescribe these inflammation drops?

thanks

[Gretchen]

Hi Sazy -

Dr Reza Dana is male - he is Iranian and hence the name.

He is using anti vegf for corneal neovascularization as are many Dr's in the US. I am not positive, but if I glean from your postings, it does not seem that this is your issue - rather you have inflammation of your eyelid conjunctiva. It is my understanding that anti vegf has some ocular toxicity issues but is used for CNV because many CNV patients are threatened with loss of corneal function and hence blindness. In other words, the risk v benefit equation makes more sense for people facing loss of vision anyway.

Dr Dana's coordinator is Whitney Howe and she is very nice. I would call her and explain your situation and see what she says. They are also trialing Kineret for CNV I believe. This may be a better option for you.

But I think that you need to go in with a very specific thing that you are asking for. My understanding is that Mass eye & ear is pretty cut and dried and not willing to spend too much time being creative. If you have CNV, they will give you the Avastin/Lucentis. If you have MGD, they will give you Kineret.

HTH,
Gretchen

[vman]

any news?

They have me scheduled for the 18th of this month. they sounded nice on the phone and I am looking forward to the visit. I had used an eye drop so I had to wait two more weeks to get an accuret assesment. It sounds hopefull.

Hi Mike...
Did you end up making the appointment at Mass Eye & Ear for this new MGD drug? You mentioned going on June 18.

-vman

[Gretchen]

Mike did not go forward with the drug, but Eli has. However he has not posted back here for awhile. I am hoping that he hasn't posted because he is to busy out enjoying his life with awesomely comfortable eyes : )

I have also PM'ed Eli, but so far nothing. I too am interested in this.

Gretchen

[zenonzyta01]

re:Mass Eye & Ear MGD Trial

Hello,
Hey i read all this information and show details from link which u mention here. I really apologies from ur this thread.But i want to know which drugs and vitamins are responsible for prevent eye inflection.. Thank you in advance..

[wetEyes]

@ Eli

How are your eyes now? Are you still taking this kineret? Did you learn something new about this treatment?

[Eli]

WetEyes,

At this time I am not using the Kineret. I had to go on a trip to Seattle (I live near Boston) in early October and stopped the Kineret when I left. I haven't used it since due to financial reasons. (Ironically, these financial reasons are because of dry eye!)
I believe the Kineret DID help somewhat, though I didn't get tremendous relief with it. I believe I used the drops for around three months. The theory behind the drug seems sound though and Dr. Dana was very enthusiastic about it's efficacy in the trials he is over-seeing. If you have the $125-$250/month to try it, go for it. Perhaps it will work well for you. I will consider trying it again when money permits. Best of luck.

[wetEyes]

I e-mailed them about the status of the trial and they said they expect to publish the results in a journal in spring 2011.

[DryEyeSurvivor26]

I just want to remind everyone that the Kineret drops are still available by prescription from Dr. Reza Dana even though the trial is over. He is the only one who can prescribe them apparently. Cost is approximately $125 per month BUT Whitney Howe told me that if Dr. Dana agrees to prescribe them, they give you a letter of medical necessity so you can appeal to your insurance company to cover some of the cost, and some people have done this successfully. Call / email Whitney Howe with questions:

http://www.masseyeandear.org/researc...ls/meibomitis/

[spmcc]

I just got an email from Mass Eye and Ear:


Thank you for your interest in our research here at Mass Eye and Ear. If you are interested in learning more about this treatment, or potentially utilizing it, you would need to have an appointment with our Cornea Service. This medication is only available through the Mass Eye and Ear pharmacy, so any refills will need to be shipped to you from Massachusetts.

Please let me know if you would like to come to Mass Eye and Ear for a Cornea visit, and I would be happy to schedule one for you.