Ocular Surface Changes and Glaucoma: A Prospective Contralateral Study of IOP-Reducing Eyedrops versus iStent Inject...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Treatment
• Ocular Surface Disease

Background:

• Glaucoma management often involves topical medications, which can lead to ocular surface issues.
• Trabecular micro-bypass stent implantation offers an alternative interventional approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare ocular surface outcomes between trabecular micro-bypass stent implantation and continued topical intraocular pressure-lowering therapy.
• To evaluate the impact of interventional glaucoma treatment on ocular surface health.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, single-center, contralateral-eye study in patients with open-angle glaucoma.
• iStent inject implantation in the study eye, with the fellow eye serving as a control on topical medications.
• Ocular surface parameters assessed via objective tests and validated questionnaires at baseline and 3, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Medication use significantly decreased in stent-treated eyes (1.9 to 0.4) but not in control eyes (1.5 to 1.4) at 6 months.
• Significant improvements observed in bulbar redness and ocular surface staining in stent-treated eyes compared to controls.
• Patient-reported outcomes (OSDI, SPEED II) significantly improved in the stent group.

Conclusions:

• Trabecular micro-bypass stent implantation effectively reduces medication burden.
• Interventional glaucoma treatment with stents improves ocular surface disease signs and symptoms.
• Stent implantation demonstrates superior ocular surface outcomes compared to topical therapy alone.