Abstract
Purpose :
Optic neuropathy pathophysiologies often centers at or near the optic nerve head and are a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. One obstacle to treating optic neuropathies is difficulty in delivering therapeutics to the optic nerve head. Here we describe a novel targeted approach to the optic nerve head, called SupraChoroidal-to-Optic-NervE (SCONE) delivery.
Methods :
Right eyes of albino New Zealand White rabbits were prepared for injection. The suprachoroidal space was expanded by injecting viscoelastic material through a microneedle. A catheter was introduced into the suprachoroidal space and directed to the optic nerve head. 5 µL of India ink solution was injected into the optic nerve head. Fundus photography and optical coherence tomography were performed pre-injection, immediately after, at 1 week, and thereafter. Parameters such as microneedle gauge, catheter gauge, and catheter bevel angle were varied. Success of injection and complications were tabulated.
Results :
In the first 20 rabbits testing SCONE delivery to the optic nerve head, optimized delivery showed peri- and intra-optic nerve head localization. Microneedle gauge of 27G, catheter gauge of 31G, and catheter bevel angle of 45 degrees were selected as optimal. In some cases, OCT showed a change in optic nerve head concavity immediately after the injection.
Conclusions :
SCONE allows for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the optic nerve head. SCONE-mediated delivery of neuroprotective and neuroregenerative therapies may be useful in treating optic neuropathies.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.