“Gentler” yet Effective Glaucoma Surgeries

Most glaucoma surgeons agree that Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) Procedures are “gentler” than trabeculectomy or glaucoma drainage devices. MIGS Procedures are faster, done through very small corneal incisions, and have fewer risks. However, they are often disparaged by glaucoma surgeons as Minimally Effective Glaucoma Surgery (MEGS). Most MIGS are simply not capable of producing the IOP reduction possible with either “trabs” or “tubes”.

As such, combining ABiC and MP3 could be a potential “Goldilocks” solution to glaucoma surgery…

At the recent American Glaucoma Society (AGS) 2017 Annual Meeting, Dr. Won Kim presented a paper entitled “Combining MIGS Procedures – Is There Evidence?” Of particular interest was his data suggesting that Ab-Interno Canaloplasty (ABiC) could be combined with Micropulse Cyclophotocoagulation (MP3) for added IOP lowering without significant additional risk.

What is unique about both ABiC and MP3 is that neither involves placing expensive implants in the eye. Additionally, Medicare and most commercial insurances are covering ABiC and MP3 as surgical glaucoma treatments (which is not true for many other MIGS procedures). As such, combining ABiC and MP3 could be a potential “Goldilocks” solution to glaucoma surgery: not too expensive, not too risky, but with “just right” IOP reduction.

Related Articles:

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2. PhacoCanaloplasty™ vs Phacotrab
3. 1 in 5 Trabeculectomy Patients May End up With Ptosis (Eyelid Droop) 
4. Trabeculectomy versus Canaloplasty (TVC study) 
5. Trabeculectomy Glaucoma Surgery After Canaloplasty 
6. Trabeculectomy Glaucoma Surgery (Part 3 of 12 of “What’s New In Glaucoma Surgery” Presentation)