The iStent is a new technology that is used to help alleviate the symptoms and prevent blindness due to open angle glaucoma. This titanium tube, measuring 1mm length, .33mm in height with a 120um opening, is the smallest medical device to be approved by the FDA. It is implanted into the trabecular meshwork to help regulate Intraocular Pressure in patients with open angle glaucoma.
At the Flaum Eye Institute in the University of Rochester, some of our doctors are starting to use this new device in their cataract/glaucoma surgeries. Our photographers are taking post-operative photos so that the doctors can teach this new technique, explain the benefits, and prove that the device is correctly implanted and properly functioning.
The istent is implanted into the trabecular meshwork during cataract surgery.
Sometimes the eyes we photograph do not have the clearest corneas.
The haze to the left is due to a cloudy cornea. In order to get around this opacity we switched mirrors.
Sometimes you can see where the stint was placed just by looking at the reflection under the limbus.
After the surgery, we are interested in the placement of the stent.
We want to make sure that the stent is properly positioned in the trabecular meshwork.
If the doctor examines the patient with a gonio lens before sending them for photos, we will notice that the cornea is hazy and it is harder to get good focus on the area of interest. Luckily, none of the images in this article can be shown for example.
Depending on the severity of glaucoma, some patients may have multiple stents implanted in one or both eyes.
Brittany Richardson, Taylor Pannell CRA, OCT-C, Rachel Hollar CRA, OCT-C
All gonioscopy images have been taken at the Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester