How MIGS Helps in Long-Term Glaucoma Control?
MIGS procedures reduce eye pressure and are much quicker than traditional glaucoma surgeries as they don’t involve cutting. Your eyes recover more quickly and experience less trauma during recovery. Additionally, these procedures can be combined with cataract surgery for maximum efficiency and reduced surgery times. Phacoemulsification with an iStent inject can significantly speed up this process. Here is how MIG procedures can help in glaucoma progression.
Improve Eye Pressure Control With MIGS
MIGS procedures use micro incisions and implants to enhance fluid drainage (aqueous humor) from the eye through surgery, helping it better regulate IOP. Your surgeon may suggest one or more MIGS surgeries, each performed under local anesthesia, depending on your personal needs and type of glaucoma.
Once the eyes have been numbed, micro-incisions will be made into the anterior chamber to access where aqueous humor is produced and stored; an implant or device will be implanted using micro-incisions.
Best Techniques in Glaucoma Control
Some techniques, like the Xen gel stent, use shunts to open new internal channels for aqueous humor flow, while other options, like the Trabectome, use an electrocautery instrument to remove strips of trabecular meshwork and improve outflow.
Recently, two devices that bypass resistance in trabecular meshwork have been created and demonstrated as more suitable alternatives that provide similar IOP-lowering results than trabeculectomy surgery. The intent is to implant a titanium device inside the eye through an ab interno approach into the trabecular meshwork to bypass it and increase fluid drainage.
As the smallest medical device currently approved for human use, it has become the go-to treatment option for pseudophakic patients and those with open-angle glaucoma who possess clear corneas. Both types can be used either alone or together with cataract surgery. IOP levels have been reported as dropping to the mid-teens after receiving one or both surgeries.
Minimize Risks With MIGS Procedures
When eye drops and glaucoma medications alone are not enough to reduce IOP, doctors may suggest surgery as the only solution. Traditional surgeries like trabeculectomy and tube shunt may be effective but also pose minimal risks. However, a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery known as MIGS has emerged. These methods are safer and have improved recovery times, providing reassurance.
At the core of all glaucoma treatments is the desire to lower IOP and mitigate the risk of vision loss. More effective treatments provide longer-term control. MIGS devices offer significant IOP reduction and minimal adverse effect profiles with fewer side effects than traditional incisional surgeries.
Benefits of the MIGS Procedure
These procedures help lower IOP by increasing fluid drainage from the eye. Trabecular bypass implants, for example, bypass resistance in the trabecular meshwork that often impedes fluid drainage. Moreover, you also have to understand the symptoms of glaucoma.
Other MIGS procedures optimize conventional outflow pathways by cannulating or dilating Schlemm’s canal and downstream collector channels. At the same time, Xen gel stents offer additional IOP reduction than drops or laser trabeculoplasty can provide.
Micro-invasive glaucoma surgery uses microsurgical tools and devices, so it tends to be safer than its more invasive counterparts. Because it doesn’t disturb the conjunctiva, it can even be combined with cataract surgery if necessary, making for an exciting future in glaucoma treatment and care! We will be watching how these innovative technologies develop over time.
Enhance Vision Preservation Through MIGS
MIGS treatments are minimally invasive surgical interventions with similar surgery times and recovery periods to glaucoma surgery. These innovative interventions focus on different areas of the eye to increase aqueous outflow while decreasing fluid production.
Compared to other glaucoma surgeries, such as trabeculectomy or drainage implant implantation, they have lower risks of severe complications like hypotony or choroidal hemorrhages.
MIGS technology is constantly advancing, so patients must choose a glaucoma surgeon who understands all their options and can recommend the most beneficial plan. Furthermore, even after MIGS has significantly lowered your IOP and you have stopped using medications altogether, your ophthalmologist will still require regular appointments to monitor it.
Discuss MIGS as a Long-Term Solution
MIGS procedures can help reduce eye pressure, stop or slow glaucoma progression, lessen medication dependence, and improve quality of life. Glaucoma patients commonly experience elevated eye pressure due to a blockage of the natural drainage channels within their eyes that usually allow fluid to exit. MIGS procedures bypass such blocked channels to allow more effective drainage of glaucoma fluid, thereby halting or slowing the progression of the disease.
- This blockage leads to pressure build-up and damage to optic nerve fibers.
- MIGS procedures bypass such blocked channels to allow more effective drainage of glaucoma fluid out.
- They can be performed alone or combined with cataract surgery and often involve implanting a device into your eye that will reduce intraocular pressure.
- Devices like the iStent, Trabectome, and Cypass are commonly used to help manage intraocular pressure reduction.
- They offer many safety advantages over traditional surgery options and can even be performed inside (ab-interno) or outside the eye (ab-externo).
Your surgeon will consider several factors, including your overall health, age, eye health status, and risk factors, to help determine which microinvasive glaucoma surgery is right for you. One way to reduce risks is to select an experienced surgeon at Bagan Strinden Vision, trained to perform this procedure. This choice will make you feel secure in your decision.
Conclusion
Invasive glaucoma surgery MIGS procedures offer a promising, minimally invasive solution for long-term glaucoma control. They help lower ocular hypertension and preserve vision with fewer risks than traditional surgeries. If you’re considering MIGS for moderate glaucoma treatment, it’s essential to consult with a skilled surgeon to determine the best approach for your specific needs and ensure long-term eye health, giving you hope for a brighter future.
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