A diabetic grandad becomes the world's first patient to receive treatment for diabetic sight loss

A grandad living with diabetes for more than 30 years has become the world's first patient to receive treatment for diabetic sight loss.

Steve Gotts, from Bootle, Liverpool, was the first of 24 patients around the world to receive a dose of Danegaptide by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT).

Danegaptide is a tablet-based medication which reduces the effects of diabetic maculopathy.

While Steve has been able to keep his condition under control over the years, he has been fearful of his eyesight deteriorating in the future.

He said: “I’ve been struggling to manage my diabetes for a long time and the team at the hospital have helped me control my symptoms.

“However, looking to the future, the prospect of going blind due to my condition and not seeing my grandchildren grow-up made me want to take part in a clinical trial."

Diabetic maculopathy occurs when excess fluid builds up in the retina at the back of the eye. This results in blurred vision and can lead to patients losing their eyesight, changing their everyday life.

Steve loves golf and also enjoys building complex scale model figurines, something he would be unable to do if he lost his vision.

He said: "The opportunity to join the trial came at the perfect moment. Not only was it available to me, based on the stage of my condition, but it is also available in my hometown of Liverpool.

“I am proud to be the first patient in the world to try this treatment, which will hopefully not only help save my sight, but other’s sight as well.

“Receiving the treatment was seamless. The unit and the research staff supporting me were lovely and have continued to monitor me at weekly appointments over four weeks.

“It’s been a great experience. The treatment options currently available to diabetic patients are very invasive so I am glad I can play my part in hopefully replacing this with much gentler treatment and benefit from the treatment myself.”

In the UK, most patients with Type 1 diabetes and nearly two thirds of people with Type 2 diabetes will have signs of damage to the back of the eye within 20 years of diagnosis.

At an advanced stage, this condition can only be treated with injections or laser to the back of the eye. However, this new treatment aims to stop or prolong deterioration all together.

St Paul's Eye Research Centre (CERC) at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, partnered with the University of Liverpool and Breye Therapeutics to deliver the world's first dose Danegaptide.

Dr Phil Burgess, Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Liverpool University Hospitals and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, said: “We are so proud to be the first clinical team in the world to administer this new treatment for diabetic maculopathy and bring this study to our patients here in Liverpool and beyond.

“This new drug could mean that injections into the back of the eye may not be necessary for patients suffering with this condition, instead replacing this with a tablet-based treatment - which is a much more comfortable treatment for patients.

“Researchers and clinicians have been looking for a long time for a treatment that can be done at the early stages of the disease, before a patients’ eyesight has begun to deteriorate.

"Current treatments can only be carried out at later stages of the condition, which can place a significant burden on patients.

“The medication will be taken for a month and patients will continue to be closely monitored by clinical teams to ensure that patients are continuing to react well to the treatment.

“As a team, we are elated that we can bring such cutting-edge research to our patients through the hard work and dedication of the research staff at St Paul’s CERC.

"We look forward to seeing the results of the next phase of this clinical trial.”

If you or someone you know is currently dealing with the effects of diabetes, contact your GP.

Visit NHS website to find out more about the effects of diabetes, which explains these symptoms and when to get checked in more detail.

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