Gel Implant for Glaucoma1
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Damage or changes to the trabecular meshwork limit the aqueous humor outflow, leading to high intraocular pressure (IOP), which is an important risk factor for glaucoma. While medications and laser treatment are indicated for glaucoma, surgery is employed to control IOP is the treatments are unsuccessful. Recently, the newly developed gel implant (XEN implant), a form of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), appears to be less invasive with a shorter operative time and learning curve than conventional trabeculectomy. A retrospective cohort study comparing the efficacy and safety profiles of XEN implant versus trabeculectomy as a surgical intervention for primary glaucoma demonstrated that XEN implant was safe and effective in reducing IOP at 24 months after surgery though had a higher final IOP than trabeculectomy.
References
1. Wanichwecharungruang et al. PLoS One 2021; 16: e0256362.
