Browse articles on EyeWorld.org from the Glaucoma section. EyeWorld is the award-winning member publication of ASCRS. The magazine provides news and updates from the Society as well as clinical features in the areas of cataract, refractive, cornea, glaucoma, and practice management. It publishes quarterly with editorial direction from its medical editorial board and staff.
Various patient scenarios, combined with surgeon preferences and comfort with the procedures, dictate tube shunt placement for glaucoma patients. The different placement options allow the surgeons to knock down obstacles in order to set the patient up for the greatest likelihood of tube shunt success.
Two surgeons shared their insights on the pearls they have gained using the XEN Gel Stent (AbbVie), which originally received FDA approval in 2016.
SLT has gained popularity in the treatment of glaucoma, and there are several new laser technologies and procedures in various stages of development. Glaucoma specialists spoke with EyeWorld about a few of the newer options and what they’re excited about.
Recent changes to training have seen the addition of a requirement for trainees to perform five MIGS procedures as the primary surgeon. Requirements for tube shunts and trabeculectomy remain in place, but those in training can be the surgeon or assistant on five procedures. Several surgeons weighed in on these changes.
Glaucoma Editor Manjool Shah, MD, shared the topics covered in the section and his thoughts on opportunities for innovation. “It has been and continues to be a journey of progress, innovation, collective action, mutual support and growth, and fortunately, the glaucoma genie doesn’t seem to have run out of wishes left to grant,” he said.
Genetic testing for glaucoma is not quite ready for “primetime,” but it’s close. Two physicians provided their thoughts on the current state of glaucoma genetic testing, its potential utility for patients, and what’s on the wish list.
A 2024 ASCRS Annual Meeting symposium featured quick-hit tips from glaucoma specialists. Panelists were asked to share a 1-minute pearl in a variety of categories and included Sarah Van Tassel, MD, Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, Douglas Rhee, MD, Lorraine Provencher, MD, and Christopher Teng, MD, MBA.
One physician shared how switching out the typical top on a glaucoma medication for the Nanodropper Adaptor, a screw-on cap that delivers a smaller drop of the medication, has helped her glaucoma patients from a compliance standpoint.
Anti-VEGF intravitreal injections may have some effect on the success of glaucoma procedures, and a retina specialist and glaucoma specialist agreed that this is dependent on the patient.
Glaucoma Editor Manjool Shah, MD, reflected on the journey of his colleagues over the last 50 years and shared what readers can expect in the Glaucoma section of the issue.