Treatment for glaucoma takes only 15 minutes and can save your vision

A 15-MINUTE eye operation to insert a tiny tube to relieve eye pressure, is being touted as a safer, more effective way of treating the most common cause of irreversible blindness.

Glaucoma surgeon Dr Nathan Kerr. Picture: Tony Gough

A 15-minute eye operation to insert a tiny tube — slightly thicker than a human hair — to relieve eye pressure, is being touted as a safer and more effective way of treating the most common cause of irreversible blindness.

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The Australian-invented 6mm long collagen device has undergone trials around the world, but now Victorian patients are among the first in the country to access the new technology.

Centre for Eye Research Australia glaucoma surgeon Nathan Kerr, said about 300,000

Australians had glaucoma, but half were unaware they had it.

And while daily eye drops were effective for relieving eye pressure, Dr Kerr said many patients suffered eye itchiness and pain similar to swimming in a highly chlorinated pool.

Further, patients often needed to use the drops multiple times a day, at specific times, which could be difficult for elderly patients or those with arthritis or Parkinson’s.

“Glaucoma is often asymptomatic in the early stages, you can’t feel it and some patients experience side effects,” Dr Kerr said.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve at the back of the eyes, often caused by raised pressure when the drain that removes eye fluid becomes clogged.

“There has been a push to not only prevent vision loss, but improve quality of life.”

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve at the back of the eyes, often caused by raised pressure when the drain that removes eye fluid becomes clogged.

The gel stent is one of three new devices for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery coming to Australia this year.

The day surgery is completed under local anaesthetic.

The tube is inserted under microscope guidance inside the front of the eye, to allow excess fluid to drain and be ­absorbed into the bloodstream.

Once inserted the device typically can’t be seen or felt, and patients are generally back to daily activities within a couple of weeks.

Recovery from the traditional 60-minute trabeculectomy, involving stitching of the eye, requires 14 post-surgery hospital visits and can leave vision blurry for six weeks.

In patients who received the device overseas, two thirds were medication-free after a year.

With the average age of those already receiving the device in their 60s, Dr Kerr said it allowed them to offer treatment earlier to better prevent blindness.

“There is no treatment to reverse the damage glaucoma has done” Dr Kerr said.

“Because the surgery is less invasive and safer we can offer it earlier and hopefully prevent people getting to that advanced stage.”

CERA is recruiting patients with uncontrolled glaucoma for a clinical trial at the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital testing recovery compared to traditional surgery.

For details on the clinical trial phone [phone] or go to cera.org.au/clinical-trials-research-centre/

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@BrigidOConnell