Site-specific Drug Delivery System Gives New Hope to Uveitis Sufferers Uveitis, a kind of eye inflammation, is classified mainly into anterior and posterior types. Anterior uveitis refers to inflammation in the front part of the eye while posterior uveitis refers to that in the back part. A serious and sight threatening condition, posterior uveitis is conventionally treated with oral steroid or immunosuppressants. Dr. Chan Wai-man of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences points out that orally prescribed steroid could cause a lot of undesirable side-effects including weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, gastritis, and osteoporosis. Similarly immunosuppressants are potentially harmful to internal organs. Worse still, some patients cannot tolerate either form of treatment. Researchers in the US have recently developed a device to be secured inside the eyeball, which will release drugs for years. The CUHK Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is one of 40 leading eye centres around the world chosen to participate in a study to test the implant. The study will involve a total of 500 patients and so far over 260 have been implanted with the new device, including 12 Chinese patients. The University is the only centre in Hong Kong that provides the new treatment for uveitis.

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