Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease defined as optic nerve damage. The primary cause of this nerve damage is elevated pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure). Damage to the optic nerve can lead to progressive sight loss throughout a patient’s life. Over the past several decades in the United States, the use of surgery as a stand-alone procedure for treating glaucoma has declined steadily. This is because the medications (eyedrops) available to treat the disease have improved dramatically, while standard glaucoma surgeries are still considered to be high-risk for sight-threatening complications.

The risks associated with some glaucoma surgeries, such as aqueous shunts or trabeculectomies, are often unacceptably high when compared to the risks associated with medical treatment.

MIGS or Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, is great news for glaucoma treatment patients who are considering cataract surgery. One such microstent, roughly the size of an eyelash, can be placed into the eye’s drainage system during cataract surgery. It acts as a scaffolding that helps open and enlarge the drainage system. In so doing, the stent helps to lower intraocular pressure. This innovative device is similar in form and fashion to the stents used for heart conditions such as coronary artery disease.

Because the device is inserted simultaneously with cataract surgery, patients who need or want cataract surgery can have a combined cataract and glaucoma treatment procedure. The cataract portion is performed to improve vision, and the microstent placement is performed to help control glaucoma. Insertion of the microstent generally adds only a few minutes to the surgery and is done when the cataract portion is completed. The microstent adds little overall risk to the procedure. Insertion of the microstent, however, can help greatly with the task of controlling eye pressure and thus controlling a patient’s glaucoma.

Best Candidates for Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery

Most patients with both cataracts and glaucoma are considered to be good candidates for this combined procedure. The microstent provides patients with an opportunity to reduce the number of medications they use to manage their disease. It also provides the opportunity to improve eye pressure without being subjected to an ever-increasing number of topical medications (eyedrops), each of which can have side effects for both their eyes and other organs such as the heart and lungs.

Who is at Risk for Glaucoma?

Anyone is at risk, but there are factors that increase the risk for glaucoma:

• Age (especially those over 60 years of age)
• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Long-term use of steroids
• Thin corneas
• African-American, Asian, or Hispanic descent
• Family history of glaucoma

The best way to avoid the negative consequences of this disease is to undergo regular glaucoma examinations. Our practice has locations throughout Texas and New Mexico, from where you can talk to an experienced optometrist or ophthalmologist and learn more about glaucoma treatment options.