The New Era of Glaucoma Micro-stent Surgery

Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) has been gaining popularity over the last decade. Although there is no strict definition for MIGS, all the new procedures share the common theme of intraocular pressure reduction with minimal tissue destruction, short surgical time, simple instrumentation and fast postoperative recovery. The use of glaucoma drainage implants has long been the traditional treatment for complex glaucoma, but a new wave of glaucoma micro-stents are now being manufactured with various materials designed to increase aqueous outflow via different channels. This review summarises the current published literature on these devices, including Sclemm's canal stents (iStent, Hydrus), Suprachoroidal stents (CyPass, iStent supra), and subconjunctival stents (Xen, Innfocus).