Glaucoma is a condition wherein the optic nerve is damaged. The primary cause for glaucoma is increased pressure inside the eye (intra ocular pressure). If this pressure increases, it leads to permanent loss of vision. Generally, glaucoma is either inherited or developed during late 40’s.
There are few or no symptoms of glaucoma. Primary symptom includes loss of peripheral or side vision, which can only detected in the later stages of the disease. Therefore glaucoma is also called as “sneak thief of vision”. In severe cases, it’s associated with severe headache, sudden eye pain, blurred vision and appearance of halos around light.
Treatment of Glaucoma depends on the severity of disease. It can be treated with eye drops, laser surgery or micro surgery. One of the major surgerical procedures to treat glaucoma in recent times includes MicroInvasive Glaucoma Surgery, MinimalInvasive Glaucoma Surgery, Micro incision Glaucoma Surgery and Xen Glaucoma implant. These procedures basically decrease the production of intra ocular pressure or increase the outflow of the same fluid.
In the above procedures, Micro Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) is an emerging trend. MIGS is a term that encompasses a wide variety of new instruments and techniques which include Trabectome, iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent, x-Press Glaucoma Filtration Device, AquaSys Implant, CyPass MicroStent . The FDA approved techniques are Trabectome and iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent.
Trabectome
The Trabectome was developed by NeoMedix Corporation consisting of a 19.5-gauge insulated handpiece that fits through a 1.7mm corneal incision. The handpiece is connected to a console with irrigation and aspiration, and a high-frequency electro-surgical generator. The hand piece is triangular, sharp point assists in its insertion through the trabecular meshwork and into Schlemm’s canal (An internal area of the eye).
iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent
The iStent is the smallest medical device ever implanted into humans with less than 1mm in length and 0.5mm in width.This shunt system from Glaukos Corp. used for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. It is made of surgical-grade titanium, the stent is placed in Schlemm’s canal to re-establish a more normal flow of fluids within the eye.