Our doctors will discuss the benefits, risks and complications of any glaucoma treatments with you during your appointment.
Initial options in the treatment of glaucoma typically include pressure lowering drops and/or laser treatment. Drops commonly work by decreasing the amount of fluid produced by the eye, which usually results in lower pressures. Medications can also increase the amount of fluid that leaves the eye. While drops cannot cure the disease, in most cases, the use of these medicated eye drops can slow or halt the worsening of glaucoma. There are 256 combinations of drops that can be used and as a result surgery is not frequently needed.
If drops do not provide sufficient treatment, laser therapy in the form of an argon laser trabeculoplasty or selective laser trabeculoplasty, may be recommended. Our doctors will speak with you and help you understand your glaucoma and which options will be best for your situation. At EPLB, we can perform both Argon and Selective laser trabeculoplasty. The both involve increasing the flow of fluid out of the eye. The benefits of SLT include the fact that it can be repeated and causes less damage to the drainage system of the eye.
Have glaucoma but also preparing to have your cataracts removed during cataract surgery? The iStent inject may be right for you!
The iStent inject has helped millions with glaucoma manage their intraocular pressure levels. Why not take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity?
During cataract surgery, you can address your cataracts and glaucoma at the same time.
When you get the iStent inject, it includes two small implants. These small implants make up the world’s smallest medical device implanted in the human body.
Worldwide, Glaukos devices have been implanted in hundreds of thousands of eyes. Every day, more and more patients benefit from the convenience of this technology.
For glaucoma patients who receive the iStent inject, it’s life-changing! After the iStent implant has been implanted, the device restores normal intraocular pressure. The iStent inject was created to:
Depending on the patient, you may be able to reduce or cut out taking glaucoma medication.
The Glaukos iStent inject is comprised of two tiny implants. Each of these tiny implants is made of surgical titanium. After implantation of the iStent inject, you won’t see or feel the stents.
To control the increased intraocular pressure, the iStent inject creates two openings. These openings are between the front part of your eye and its natural drainage pathway.
These openings exist to help increase the flow of fluid in your eye. By creating permanent bypasses through the trabecular meshwork, the Glaukos iStent inject:
Only patients with glaucoma and cataracts can get the iStent inject. This is a procedure that is only performed in conjunction with cataract surgery.
You cannot have the iStent inject if you don’t have cataracts or don’t need cataract surgery. In most cases, the iStent inject should not be your first treatment for glaucoma.
You shouldn’t undergo implantation of the iStent inject if you’ve had a glaucoma procedure in the last 90 days. Go over your medical history with your doctor before undergoing any procedure.
Use your appointment to ask any questions or go over any concerns that you may have. This is the best time to find out if the iStent inject could be a procedure for you to consider!
Wondering if the iStent inject could be right for your glaucoma and cataract needs? Schedule an appointment at Eye Physicians of Long Beach in Long Beach, CA today!
For qualified patients, the iStent inject is a safe way to remove cataracts and lower intraocular pressure!
In the case of angle closure, the physician will need to remove the blockage to reduce the pressure. In this case, a peripheral iridotomy or a peripheral iridoplasty are more appropriate. In both cases, the purpose of the laser is to pull the iris away from the angle. In a peripheral iridotomy, the surgeon will create a small opening in the peripheral iris and stabilize the pressure behind and in front of the iris, pushing the iris back. This works when the mechanism of angle closure is that the pupil gets too close to the lens, preventing the fluid from behind the iris to come around, causing a buildup behind the iris. The laser creates a new path for fluid and releases the increased pressure. In a peripheral iridoplasty, the laser is used to shrink the mid peripheral iris, pulling it away from the drainage system.
The next level of therapy if laser and eyedrops fail, consists of incisional surgery, or surgery that involves cutting. Our doctors may recommend one of a variety of surgical procedures for the treatment of your glaucoma, and a trabeculectomy is one of the available options. A small incision will be made into the drainage system of the eye and a new channel for the fluid created, which then flows under or oozes through the conjunctiva. This allows for increased ouflow of fluid and a reduction in pressure. A small bubble will appear on the conjunctiva at the point of intersection of the cornea and the sclera. Other surgical procedures include trabectome, goniotomy, canaloplasty, and endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation.
Other options include shunts are small artificial devices that are surgically attached to the eye’s surface for treatment of glaucoma. The devices have a tiny tube that is inserted in the eye and creates a passageway for the fluid to escape. The shunts and implants allow fluid to escape the eye without having to pass through the damaged trabecular meshwork. Shunts are made of materials such as polypropylene and silicone and depending on the type of glaucoma, the shunts may either be hollow to improve drainage or have valves to control the drainage. The main shunts used are Baerveldt shunts (no valve) or an Ahmed shunts which have a valve. A newer shunt is the Express Shunt. This procedures combines the benefits of a shunt with that of a trabeculectomy.
A low power laser with a very short pulse of light, the SLT laser is applied directly to the trabecular meshwork to enhance or stimulate its normal drainage function. The laser causes a drop in IOP without cutting tissue or creating new holes or openings in the eye. SLT treatment offers many advantages to patients. It can be performed as an initial treatment instead of eye drops for patients who cannot tolerate medications or who desire fewer or no medications. It can be added to drops as a supplemental treatment for greater IOP lowering when necessary, allowing for less complex medical regimens. There are no systemic side effects. It is a safe, office-based procedure, performed simply with a drop of anesthetic in the eye. It is reimbursed by medical insurance. In some patients, the IOP lowering effect of the SLT laser may wear off over time, requiring a retreatment with the laser or a different therapeutic approach. SLT may be performed prior to cataract surgery in patients with coexisting glaucoma and cataract to maximize the chances of good IOP control with less need for glaucoma medications following cataract surgery.
One of the latest developments in the treatment of glaucoma is the use of the Express Shunt. The ExPress mini-glaucoma shunt a miniature stainless steel device that offers an additional option when treating difficult glaucoma cases. The shunt is as small as a grain of rice and is a hollow drainage tube that enables the drainage system of the eye, which as been damaged by glaucoma, to be bypassed, in turn lowering intraocular pressure in the eye. Generally when medical and laser therapy for glaucoma fails, some type of filtration surgery is the next step taken. The ExPress shunt provides immediate consistent aqueous flow through a microscopic opening.
To place the shunt, a thin flap is cut into the front of the eye. Next, a hollow needle is inserted through the eye, into the anterior chamber. Then, the ExPress shunt is placed into the hole created by the needle. Once the shunt is in place, the flap is closed and secured with tiny sutures. Fluid can then freely flow out of the eye, equalizing pressure within the eye. The procedure takes about 10 minutes to perform and is an outpatient procedure, meaning the patient will return home the day of surgery. After surgery quality of life is greatly improved as patients have minimal pain and discomfort and are able to see well after surgery. With traditional surgeries to treat glaucoma, healing time can take weeks. Placement if the Express shunt causes less disruption to the eye tissue so patients are much less likely to experience problems associated with standard surgery such as drooping of the eyelids. In many cases, patients that have had ExPress Shunt surgery are able to cut down or even eliminate medications and eye drops to control intraocular pressure.
Canaloplasty is a breakthrough procedure available to help patients who may be frustrated with their medications and aren’t ready for traditional surgery. Canaloplasty is proven to safely lower intraocular pressure (IOP) and dependence on medications. And unlike traditional procedures, Canaloplasty uses a less invasive, non-penetrating approach and has fewer complications and less follow-up.
Canaloplasty is a newer surgical method, similar to a trabeculectomy, except for the important distinction that the final thin layer of the wall of the eye is left intact. A microcatheter is used to dilate Schlem’s Canal and a small suture is used to stent the canal open to allow the natural filtration channels in the eye to re-open. This procedure lowers the chances for infection, and is ideal for patients not wanting to under go traditional filtering surgery or can no longer tolerate eye drops.
The XEN® Gel Stent is a small surgical implant designed for use in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. The procedure helps drain fluid and reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in open angle glaucoma patients, thus preserving vision. It is also referred to as aqueous shunt surgery.
GATT (Gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy) is a form of minimally invasive surgery to treat open-angle glaucoma. The procedure is a modern variation of a trabeculotomy, a traditional form of glaucoma surgery that has been performed by eye surgeons for over 50 years.
A trabeculectomy is a surgical procedure that is performed to reduce intraocular pressure. To perform a trabeculectomy, an anesthesiologist will numb your eye so that you can’t feel anything besides slight pressure during the surgery. After using anesthetic drops to numb your eye, an anesthetic injection will be placed around your eye. This is to ensure that your eye becomes fully numb, as well as to reduce the eye’s ability to move during surgery. Once the eye is properly anesthetized, the surgery can begin.
A selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a precise laser procedure used to reduce intraocular eye pressure and preserve vision in glaucoma patients. The goal of SLT is to drain excess fluid from the eye while minimizing damage to the surrounding eye structure. Due to the high success rate of SLT, treatment risks are greatly reduced or eliminated. Additionally, patients experience a greater sense of comfort than with conventional laser treatment for glaucoma.
The Baerveldt shunt is a glaucoma drainage device that is implanted into the eye to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) by draining aqueous humor fluid. Aqueous humor is not the same as tears — in patients with glaucoma, the buildup of aqueous humor fluid causes high intraocular pressure (IOP) that can damage vision.
In patients with glaucoma, the buildup of aqueous humor fluid causes high intraocular pressure that can eventually damage vision. The Ahmed valve is a tiny device that is implanted into the eye to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP).
The Ahmed valve is one type of aqueous shunt implantation that drains the aqueous humor fluid from inside the eye to a small capsule (often called bleb) behind the eyelid. Draining the fluid continuously by this method reduces pressure on the optic nerve and can prevent further loss of vision.
A tiny medical product called the Travoprost Intraocular Implant is being tested in an investigational study to help alleviate high eye pressure. The goal of the Travoprost Intraocular Implant is to lower your eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP). The Travoprost Intraocular Implant slowly releases Travoprost, the active drug in a commonly used glaucoma eyedrop. Travoprost is believed to increase the fluid flowing out of the front part of your eye.
Durysta is a small dissolvable implant that releases a medication called Bimatoprost. This helps reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) within the eye caused by glaucoma. This implant can be injected into the eye during an in-office procedure.
