Birdshot treatment approval

Use of Iluvien implants for people with recurrent non-infectious posterior uveitis (birdshot) has been approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

The treatment, a fluocinolone acetonide ocular implant in the form of a 3.5mm x 0.37mm polyimide capsule, is injected into the eye and will control symptoms for up to three years at a time. A campaign for its use was led by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) alongside the Birdshot Uveitis Society (BUS).

John Dixon, policy and campaigns officer for RNIB, said: ‘This announcement heralds a new era in treatment for the condition. Taking oral steroids and immunosuppressants over a long-term period can cause horrific side effects. They can be so severe that some people with birdshot uveitis choose not to take their medication at all – they prefer to risk their sight instead.’