Patients who formerly had to go to the UK to access a vital sight-saving eye cancer treatment can now have it performed in Ireland, under a new initiative.

Under the initiative between St Luke's and the Eye and Ear Hospitals in Dublin, patients can now access ocular brachytherapy (localised eye radiation) at St Luke's. This therapy allows the eye to be saved and sight to be maintained.

Consultant ophthalmic surgeon Noel Horgan carries out the surgery to insert the radiation implant into the eye.  The St Luke’s team includes experts from radiation oncology, radiation physics and specialist nursing staff who are assisted by the Eye and Ear nurse specialist staff.
 
The first patient to avail of this new service was successfully treated in September and by mid-October the third patient, 64-year-old Tony Donnelly from Navan, Co Meath had been treated, discharged and was preparing to return to his full-time job.

The initiative in volved an investment of €400,000 by the National Cancer Control programme (NCCP).
 
Mr Horgan said ocular (eye) tumours occur relatively rarely, and every year in Ireland between forty and fifty new patients are diagnosed with melanoma of the eye. 

"Up to two thirds of these individuals are routinely considered suitable for the treatment The procedure that we are offering in St Luke’s Hospital involves treating the tumour within the eye by surgically inserting a radioactive implant (plaque) between the layers behind the eye – so the device can deliver radiation locally to treat the tumour inside the eye"

"That allows the patient to be effectively treated while saving their eye which might otherwise have to be removed, Mr Horgan said.

The device is usually left in place between three and seven days depending on the size of the tumour – for Co Meath patient Tony Donnelly, the process involved a four night in patient stay in St Luke’s Hospital.

Read more about eye health on our new Eye Channel here