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Prof. Robert Rejdak, an ophthalmologist from Lublin, together with a team of scientists, created the first tablet in the world that slows down the development of glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness after cataract. How does the tablet work, who can use it, there are no side effects? – MedTvoiLokony asked prof. Rejdak.
- Polish scientists led by prof. Robert Rejdak, head of the General Ophthalmology Clinic of the Medical University of Lublin, created a tablet that slows down the development of glaucoma.
- 70 million people worldwide suffer from glaucoma, 800 in Poland. Although we still do not know the cause of this disease, the tablet created by Poles containing citicine may be a breakthrough in its treatment.
- The tablet has no side effects and will be sold without a prescription.
MedTvoiLokony: What does the tablet you created contain and how does it work?
Prof. Robert Rejdak: It protects the retinal ganglion cells and the structures of the optic nerve, which are damaged in the course of glaucoma. The tablet contains a medicinal substance which is citicoline. It is a nutraceutical with a long history of being a drug.
But not in ophthalmology?
In psychiatry and neurology. After years of research, it has been proven that it is also effective in the fight against glaucoma. It slows down the development of the disease. It can greatly support traditional and recognized therapies used so far in the treatment of glaucoma – pharmacotherapy with drops, laser therapy and surgical techniques. In addition, it has no side effects, so it can be sold without a prescription.
I immediately associate it with supplements that are also sold over the counter, there are no clinical trials behind them, and their effectiveness is still being questioned.
It is not a supplement. It is not accidental that we use the name nutraceutical. Citicoline has, as I mentioned, a very long history of being a drug. It was used, among others in stroke – a very serious disease.
It will also be able to be used preventively, e.g. in people who do not have glaucoma yet, but are afraid that, for example, they will inherit it, because it has often occurred in their family?
We hope so, but it’s too early to confirm it. We are conducting research in this direction. For now, we know that this nutraceutical definitely slows down the development of glaucoma, we recommend it to adults with diagnosed glaucoma.
We also see opportunities in it for patients with neurophthalmic and degenerative diseases involving the retina, e.g. in post-traumatic conditions with the course of damage to the optic pathway or in neuropathy of the optic nerve.
The tablet will be sold over the counter. I assume that many patients will not admit to the ophthalmologist that they are taking it. Can the substance in it interact in any way with other medications used by ophthalmologists? Or make it harder for the eye to heal after surgery?
It can also be taken before or after ophthalmic surgeries, or during convalescence. The administration is oral, not in the form of drops, so it does not interfere with local therapy – in the eye. Of course, you still need to inform the attending physician that you are taking the nutraceutical. And we do not advise anyone to give up traditional glaucoma treatment, because the tablet does not replace it, but supports it.
You have been conducting research on the creation of this tablet for several years. It took a great deal of self-denial, because it could have turned out to be a dozen or so wasted years – there was no guarantee that the therapy would work.
Yes, the more I would like to emphasize that the several years of research involved, among others, Lublin ophthalmologists community. We have worked, among others with prof. Jerzy Toczołowski, Zbigniew Zagórski, prof. Zbigniew Stelmasiak and prof. Konrad Rejdak (brother of prof. Robert Rejdak – editor) from the Department of Neurology, under the patronage of prof. Paweł Grieb from the Polish Academy of Sciences and together with German centers.