Pune: A private hospital here has, in a first for the city, performed a microinvasive eye surgery on a 59-year-old woman diagnosed with glaucoma, allowing for rapid rehabilitation of the patient. Due to micro-incision, the wounds from the surgery could heal much faster, and the woman could resume routine work the very next day — this is compared to the 15-20 days of healing usually required after a conventional glaucoma trabeculectomy procedure. The surgery was performed at the Deshpande Eye Hospital and Laser Centre in June this year.
The patient is a schoolteacher, who had been suffering from glaucoma for the past seven years. The patient, requesting anonymity, said, "Due to blurry vision and low eyesight, I was recommended five different eye drops to be taken thrice every day just to maintain regular vision. It was difficult for me to maintain this routine daily, given that I am a working woman.
However, I was scared that if I did not maintain this schedule, I might lose my eyesight forever." The US-based National Eye Institute defines glaucoma as a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye, called the optic nerve. Although there is no cure for glaucoma, early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists glaucoma as the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness, which is more common in high-income countries. It is estimated that about 7.7 million people suffer from blindness or vision impairment due to glaucoma.
Deshpande Eye Hospital and Laser Centre director Dr Anand Deshpande, who performed the surgery, told TOI, "This is the first time in the city that a micro-invasive glaucoma surgery ( MIGS ) stent procedure has been performed. Thanks to this surgery, we will be able to reduce the rise in eye pressure by up to 45%, which eliminates the need for permanent anti-glaucoma medications. A healthy eye pressure, or intraocular pressure (IOP), is usually between 10 and 21 millimetres of mercury (mmHg), which in this case went up to 42.
" He added, "The surgery requires a minute incision of only 1.1mm to insert the 0.8mm stent, which helps balance flow of secretions from the anterior to posterior part of the eye.
This helps in post-operative recovery much faster than traditional surgeries. The post-op care and precautions are also much lower in MIGS than in the conventional glaucoma trabeculectomy procedure. The patient can also lower the requirement for eye drops, which is difficult to comply with and often leads to worsening of the condition.
" The emergence of MIGS has allowed cataract and refractive surgeons to treat glaucoma earlier and more safely compared with filtration surgery, said the doctor. MIGS also gives patients an opportunity to reduce their dependence on topical medication and agents that negatively affect the ocular surface, so the quality of vision can improve. Dr Deshpande said, "Since this is a new technology, it is a bit expensive.
However, glaucoma is much more common in patients with diabetes, hypertension, myopia, and with a family history of glaucoma, which makes MIGS a more suitable choice in younger patients, who are more susceptible to this condition.".
