R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, JAN 19
A sexagenarian was freed from prolonged dependency on Antiglaucoma Eye Drops through a Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) by the Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, Chennai.
Revealing this at a press conference here on Friday, Dr Ashwin Agarwal, Executive Director & Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital said, “MIGS is a new category of glaucoma surgery that has transformed the landscape of glaucoma management by providing a safer and less invasive alternative to conventional method of trabeculectomy. It has been specifically developed with the goal of reducing the risk of complications associated with traditional glaucoma surgeries.”
- Minimally-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) is a safer and less invasive alternative to traditional surgeries for Glaucoma: Dr. Ashvin Agarwal, Executive Director & Chief Clinical Officer
- At Agarwals, we have an 85% success rate with close to 50% of the cases achieving over 40% intraocular pressure reduction
- Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital is launching annual Glaucoma Patient Summit in March
“With MIGS, there is a negligible disruption to normal anatomy through this microinvasive and sutureless approach. This gives the patient a faster healing time and rapid recovery. It provides a better 24 hour IOP control. There are many types of MIGS procedures and devices available in India, including Istent, Kahooks dual blade, BANG and GATT. Thanks to MIGS, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of life of glaucoma patients. They can enjoy the freedom from eye drops – or a reduction in the number of medications. At Agarwals, we have an 85% success rate with close to 50% of the cases achieving over 40% intraocular pressure reduction,” he added.
Replying to queries, Dr Ashvin Agarwal said, “Insertion of a micro stent through MIGS will get a permanent relief for prolonged dependence of Antiglaucoma drops. Patients can lead normal/quality life from the very next day of the MIGS procedure. This procedure can be combined with the cataract surgery of the patients, which will relieve them financially.’’
When asked whether the union government is extending import duty exemption for micro stents used for MIGS, Dr Ashvin Agarwal said that he has no idea, but to check with the concerned department. The MIGS procedure costs anywhere between Rs 50K and Rs 200 K, if the government extends import duty exemption, it would be beneficial to poor and downtrodden.
Dr. S. Soundari, Regional Head – Clinical Services, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, said “Glaucoma is a silent killer, as the progression of this condition isn’t noticed till the last stages. Usually, the patient comes into the hospital too late. No proper cure has been found for the disease till date. So the only treatment that we have is medical or surgical management. Although glaucoma is progressive, early intervention can usually prevent further vision loss or blindness. Glaucoma therapy includes different methods to lower the intraocular pressure, such as medications, laser, and surgery. In the case of mild glaucoma, eye drops are recommended. In moderate to severe cases, surgery is inevitable.”
She added that the conventional surgery, known as trabeculectomy, creates a new drainage pathway. With this method, there is always a risk of over-filtration, which could result in too little intraocular pressure, and infection at the surgical site. In MIGS surgeons use the normal drainage mechanics of the eye to enhance fluid outflow.
63-year-old Mukundan of Chennai, a HR Executive by profession was depending on the Antiglaucoma Eye drops for over 12 years. He was totally relieved from administering the eye drops which costs over Rs. 500 per bottle.
In the case of Mukundan, the surgical team at Dr Agarwals placed two stents inside the eyes which improved the fluid outflow. The surgery achieved about 35% reduction in intraocular pressure. This reduction is enough for the patient to stop using eye drops. He will have to be on the follow up for periodic pressure monitoring and nerve testing alone.
Glaucoma is the second most diagnosed eye disorder and the third leading cause of blindness. It affects 3 in 100 people. There are approximately 76 million people who have this condition worldwide. In India, about 11.9 million people aged 40 years and older live with it.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an irreversible and a progressive optic neuropathy. It occurs when the intraocular pressure increases as a result of either an increase in the inflow of fluids into the eye or a decrease in the outflow. The increased pressure damages optic nerves. MIGS can reduce the intraocular pressure by enhancing the outflow of fluids using several techniques, such as implanting micro stents to enhance the eye’s drainage system.
Dr Agarwals launching annual Glaucoma Patient Summit in March
Considering the life changing benefits of MIGS, Dr Agarwals is Launching an Annual Glaucoma Patient Summit, a first-of-its-kind event in the city in March this year to facilitate direct interactions between the hospital’s experts and the patients to raise awareness about glaucoma and its understanding, Dr Ashvin added.
Dr. Sugepriya K, Consultant – Ophthalmologis, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital was also present at the press briefing.
