OPHTHALMOLOGY

Q:I heard there is a new surgical treatment for glaucoma, the iStent Inject. What can you tell me about it?

A:The iStent Inject Trabecular Micro-Bypass System is one of the new surgical treatments for glaucoma that is designed to reduce eye pressure in adult patients with mild to moderate open-angle glaucoma who are currently being treated with glaucoma medicine and are having cataract surgery.

The iStent is the smallest medical device ever approved by the FDA and is carefully placed in the drainage tissue of the eye during cataract surgery. It is so small that you won’t be able to see or feel it after surgery. This micro-bypass stent for the eye works much like stents used in the heart that help to create a passageway for blood flow in blocked vessels. Your eye uses an intricate fluid outflow system to keep it balanced and healthy. The drainage tissue of this system is called the trabecular meshwork. In patients with openangle glaucoma, a blockage in the trabecular meshwork prevents the fluid in your eye from draining properly. When this happens, fluid backs up and eye pressure, referred to as IOP or intraocular pressure, rises. The iStent creates a permanent opening in the trabecular meshwork that improves the eye’s natural fluid outflow to help lower your IOP. Patients who have the iStent implanted may be able to reduce their glaucoma medications, but this will be at the discretion of their eye doctor.

If you are going to have cataract surgery and are currently taking one or more medications for glaucoma, you may be a candidate for the iStent or one of the other stents or treatments combined with cataract surgery. Talk with your eye doctor to find out if the iStent is right for you. Gregory Eippert, MD 9485 Mentor Ave., #110, Mentor 44060 440-255-1115 www.opivision.com