IRON MOUNTAIN – Eye surgeon Dr. John M. Garrett of Garrett Eye announced that he is providing the iStentTrabecular Micro-Bypass Stent as a treatment option to reduce eye pressure for patients with both cataracts and glaucoma.

The iStent is FDA-approved for use in conjunction with cataract surgery to reduce eye pressure in adult patients with mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma currently being treated with glaucoma medicine. In clinical trials, iStent has been shown to safely reduce eye pressure, which is the primary cause of open-angle glaucoma.

“This is great news for people who have both a cataract and glaucoma,” says Dr. Garrett. The eye drops used to treat glaucoma can be difficult to administer and expensive. With iStent, many patients will need less medicine to control their eye pressure and some may not need prescription eye drops at all.”

iStent is the smallest medical device ever approved by the FDA and is placed in a patient’s eye during cataract surgery.

“It is so small you are unable to see or feel it after the procedure is done. Although you won’t even know iStent is there, it will be working to help reduce your eye pressure,” Dr. Garrett said.

Implanting the iStent does not significantly extend the length of time the patient spends in surgery and has a similar safety profile to cataract surgery alone.

Studies have shown that more than 90 percent of patients do not comply with their ocular medication dosing regimens and nearly 50 percent discontinue taking their medications before six months.

“This can be a serious problem. When pressure in the eye is out of control, it can increase the risk for permanent vision loss. I consider iStent an important advancement in protecting against vision loss for my glaucoma patients,” Dr. Garrett added.

For more information, contact Garrett Eye at 1-800-428-8149.

Glaukos Corporation is a privately held ophthalmic company located in Laguna Hills, California, that is dedicated to researching and developing microtechnologies to improve glaucoma therapy.

The company has developed the iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent, which is intended to improve natural physiological aqueous outflow and reduce intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma patients.