Do you have glaucoma? Are you looking for an alternative to using eye drops?
Treating and maintaining your eye health when you have glaucoma is important. Glaucoma is the “silent thief of vision” because it can cause vision loss before you realize you have it.
Keep reading to learn more about glaucoma and how you may be able to get off eye drops when you have it!
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye condition that occurs when increased eye pressure causes damage to the optic nerve. This starts affecting your vision and makes it harder to see.
Maintaining healthy eye pressure levels is key to good eye health. This is especially important if you want to keep your glaucoma from getting worse or progressing.
If you do not manage your glaucoma with surgery or other treatments, it will lead to permanent damage of the optic nerve or even vision loss.
There are two main kinds of glaucoma, “open-angle” and “closed-angle.” Open-angle glaucoma progresses slowly.
Most patients with open-angle glaucoma don’t know that they have it until it is severe. Closed-angle glaucoma develops rapidly and can be painful.
Once your optic nerve suffers damage, the goal of treatment is maintaining your eye health and preventing further damage. Treatment options can include eye drops and surgical procedures.
The Hydrus Microstent
Some patients do not like using eye drops or find that using eye drops is not the most effective treatment option for them. An effective treatment option for reducing eye pressure is having the Hydrus Microstent implanted.
Implantation of the Hydrus Microstent is a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, which means it has less risk than other more invasive glaucoma surgical treatments. The Hydrus Microstent is about the size of an eyelash and works to reduce the eye pressure when placed in the eye.
Implanting the Hydrus Microstent helps the fluid drain out of the natural outflow pathway in the eye. This bypass helps reduce the fluid build up and lower the pressure.
How Long Has the Hydrus Microstent Been Around?
The FDA approved the Hydrus Microstent in 2018. It was a part of the FDA HORIZON trial and had superior long-term results. The majority of patients that had the Hydrus Microstent implanted had a significant decrease in their intraocular (eye) pressure.
Why Should I Choose the Hydrus Microstent?
The Hydrus Microstent is one the most studied glaucoma device to date. The FDA approval is based on the landmark Horizon Trial, the largest micro-invasive glaucoma surgery clinical study ever conducted. The study demonstrated safety and effectiveness of Hydrus Microstent to lower Intraocular pressure. Hydrus Microstent has improved the lives of thousands of patients with a wide variety of glaucoma symptoms. Patients usually do not see or feel the implant and they experience optimal results for managing their eye pressure.
Making sure that your eye pressure stays low is important for maintaining your eye’s health, especially if you have glaucoma. The Hydrus Microstent is an excellent option for keeping your eyes healthy without needing to use eye drops.
Do you want to talk to an eye doctor about alternatives to eye drops for treating your glaucoma? Schedule an appointment at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare in Buffalo, NY!
