Glaucoma is the leading cause of permanent blindness for people around the world. It is a disease that damage your optic nerve . The optic nerve sends visual information from your eye to the brain and is vital for good vision. Damage to the optic nerve is often related to high pressure in the eye. But glaucoma can happen even with typical eye pressure.
The treatment recommended for you will depend on the type of glaucoma you have, but the options are eyedrops, laser treatment and surgery . The goal of glaucoma treatment is to reduce the pressure in your eyes in order to prevent further optic nerve damage and preserve the patient’s vision.
Despite glaucoma surgery such as trabeculectomy and drainage devices have shown to be effective for lowering intraocular pressure, they may be associated with different complications, some of them severe, that may lead to visual impairment. This has led to the search for safer surgical alternatives, but with similar efficacy.
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) is an alternative surgical treatment for glaucoma, which a drainage device is implanted in order to reduce the size of the incision. Compared to trabeculectomy, this method minimizes pain and the risk of complications during and after surgery, leading to a quicker recovery.
PreserFlo Microshunt (PMS, Santen Inc., Miami, FL; formerly known as the InnFocus Microshunt) is a new ab-externo and subconjunctival MIGS device designed for treating patients with early to advanced open-angle glaucoma (OAG). PreserFlo Microshunt is a tiny tube that is 8.5 mm long and about double size of an eyelash. It is inserted into the anterior chamber of the eyeball in order to lower intraocular pressure by draining the eye fluid into the area behind the conjunctiva.
Compared to other tube shunt devices, PreserFlo tube and lumen are smaller. Its unique design lowers the risk of hypotony by effectively controlling fluid drainage and keeping the intraocular pressure above 5 mmHg after surgery.
PreserFlo is made of a synthetic material called poly(styrene-block-Isobutylene-block-styrene) or SIBS,a biostable thermoplastic elastomer that has demonstrated biocompatibility and long-term stability. SIBS has been associated with minimal inflammation or encapsulation, which are common side effects of trabeculectomy.
According to studies, PreserFlo is effective as trabeculectomy at lowering intraocular pressure and delaying the advancement of glaucoma but fewer side effects. PreserFlo,
either alone or in combination with phacoemulsification, may be considered as a valuable option for treating open-angle glaucoma patients.
