Glaucoma
Our doctors are some of a select few doctors providing the iStent® Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent as a treatment option to reduce eye pressure for patients with both cataracts and glaucoma.
Glaucoma Treatment Options
St. Cloud Eye Clinic offers a variety of treatment options to slow the advance of glaucoma and to prevent further damage. Your doctor will determine the best method or methods of treatment based on your eyes. Some of the options available include:
Trabeculectomy
During a trabeculectomy procedure, a small amount of tissue is removed from the eye, allowing drainage to lower eye pressure. There is no implanted device in a trabeculectomy. A bleb, or fluid-containing blister, may form on the white part of your eye.
Laser Trabeculectomy
Laser trabeculosplasty is a bladeless procedure that lowers pressure in the eye by opening the drainage angle of the eye. Like a regular trabeculectomy, nothing is implanted in the eye.
Laser Peripheral Iridotomy
A laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) is another simple outpatient procedure for patients with glaucoma or have a high risk for developing it. Our trained doctors direct a laser to gently put a hole in the eye’s iris. This iridotomy will allow pressures on both sides of the eye to equalize, reducing the chances of permanent vision loss. The entire procedure will only last about 10 minutes, but patients will need to stay for another 30 minutes to have their pressures checked.
Glaukos iStent
St. Cloud Eye Clinic continues to stay on the forefront of technology in eye care with the offering of the iStent, the first FDA-approved device that improves your eye’s natural fluid outflow to lower eye pressure. Proven gentle and effective, the iStent is the smallest medical device ever approved by the FDA.
The iStent is placed in your eye during cataract surgery and is so small that you won’t be able to see or feel it after the procedure is over. The iStent is designed to create a permanent opening in your trabecular meshwork and works continuously to improve the outflow of fluid from your eyes to help control eye pressure.
Once implanted, the iStent will begin working to effectively to manage your eye pressure. It may help to reduce your dependency on glaucoma medications.
Ahmed Valve
An Ahmed Valve is a medical shunt used in the eye to control intraocular pressure (IOP). When surgically implanted in the eye, this device redirects fluid through a small tube and into a bleb to collect the fluid. The silicone shunt acts much like a garden hose that directs liquid away from where it can cause vision damage in the eye.