Botox as treatment for a chronic eye condition needs more specialist training

It is little known that one of Botox’s original medical uses was for an eye condition called blepharospasm, which causes continuous eye twitches or excessive blinking.

It was discovered that the injection could help control the muscles in the eyelids that were responsible for producing so much movement, the results of which led those administering it to realise its potential to eradicate fine lines.

Botox has become far better known as a beauty measure in the fight against wrinkles and ageing, and as a result this can mean far more practitioners who train to administer Botox as a cosmetic procedure than for other medical purposes. Opthalmologists at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London have described the lack of specific training in this area, even though its use as a treatment for blepharospasm pre-dates its cosmetic use.

Doctors at the specialist hospital successfully treat 95% of their patients with the condition but are aware that those who seek treatment for the condition elsewhere either don’t receive Botox as a treatment or they do but with far less success. They attribute this to the lack of numbers who train in this specific area of opthalmology.

The condition can cause a great deal of distress to the sufferer, as constant twitching or blinking dries out the eye and causes irritation and discomfort. In some cases the eye can shut together for some time, leading some sufferers of the condition to be registered as visually impaired. When Botox is injected in to the area it needs to target very specific muscles in the eyelids, which is why it can be difficult to get it right without the right training.

Though the condition is made manageable through regular Botox treatments there is nonetheless no outright cure, as well as no full understanding of the cause of the condition. It’s believed that genetic factors may be at play, as well as already-existing susceptibility to dry eyes.

Cosmetic Courses offer training in Botox and other aesthetic treatments to medical professionals throughout the UK. For information on any of our training courses, please contact the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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Could the protein that Botox targets be the answer to diabetes cure?

Scientists at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University are attempting to understand the proteins that may be responsible for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

It is the same SNARE proteins that Botox treatment targets, as they are responsible for muscle contraction. Botox targets these proteins and effectively freezes them, therefore halting muscle contraction.

As well as in other areas of the body these proteins, called SNARE, reside in the beta-cells within the pancreas. Researchers are using molecular microscopic techniques to determine exactly what happens with these cells and insulin release.

The steady release of insulin made by these cells helps to control glucose levels in the body. When there is a consistently high level of glucose production in the body, which is what happens in obese patients, this process stops functioning properly and leads to Type 2 diabetes.

These SNARE proteins, which are the equivalent to the size of ten-thousandth of a human hair, will be observed by Dr Colin Rickman and his team of researchers. They hope that this will help to understand exactly how the beta-cells produce insulin and therefore what happens when they stop functioning. The intention is that these findings will help find a cure to the chronic condition.

The number of people with Type 2 diabetes in the UK rose by 1.5 million between 1996 and 2012, and it’s predicted that the number of sufferers will hit 5 million by the year 2025. This recent and projected growth in number is due to the rising numbers of those who are overweight and obese.

Cosmetic Courses offer aesthetic training to medical professionals throughout the UK. If you would like information on any of our training courses, please call us on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

 

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