Glaucoma is an unfortunately extremely common disease resulting from increased intraocular pressure.

This results in damage to the optic nerve and consequent impairment of vision. Therapy and intervention, therefore, have as their objective the reduction of the pressure that generates the visual damage.

For more information on glaucoma and to book a consultation with Dr Badalà, you can visit this page: https://www.microchirurgiaoculare.com/en/glaucoma/causes-and-symptoms/.

A widespread disease: data on glaucoma in the world

According to data from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness – IAPB Italia Onlus and the Ministry of Health, released on the occasion of the last ‘World Glaucoma Week’, held last March, 1 million people suffer from this disease in Italy alone.

Globally, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness: according to the 2019 ‘World Report on Vision’ released by the World Health Organisation, some 64 million people worldwide are affected by this degenerative eye condition.

What makes this eye disease particularly insidious is the fact that, often, those who suffer from it are not aware of it or only realize it when the damage is extensive. Fortunately, however, today there are both effective medications and eye surgeries that, in expert hands, allow the progression of the disease to be stopped.

ISTENT, a minimally invasive procedure for glaucoma

The new mini-invasive glaucoma surgery is called ISTENT: this procedure allows you to get rid of eye drops. The great advantage is that it significantly reduces the risks of intra- and post-operative complications.

In the ISTENT procedure, a small incision is made on the cornea and from there, a dedicated instrument is used to access the inside of the eye, which allows two small stents to be inserted at the level of the filter inside the eye. This filter, which is precisely the element that is obstructed when one has glaucoma, is where the rise in eye pressure is triggered. Stents are micro-structures that act as supports and, therefore, are able to restore the normal outflow of water inside the eye, allowing the intraocular pressure to be significantly lowered.

We have been performing this type of surgery routinely for 5 years now with excellent results: call one of our centres to book a visit. We will be happy to help you!