Watch Now: Tiny Implant Helping Glaucoma Patients

Patients now have a surgical option that can take care of both Glaucoma and Cataracts in just a matter of minutes, and it comes in the form of the world’s smallest surgically implantable device: the iStent. The Baptist Health South Florida news team was there as Carlos Buznego, M.D., an ophthalmic surgeon with the Center for Excellence in Eye Care at the Medical Arts Surgery Center at Baptist Hospital, performed the procedure.

[Transcript]

[Emilio walking through hallway]
Emilio Marrero:
Juan Marrero can see clearly now that his cataract has gone, but in the process of clearing up his vision, he also received a unique tool to help control his moderate glaucoma, a trabecular micro bypass, the eye stent, it's the world's smallest surgically implantable device. Dr. Carlos Buznego, an eye surgeon with a center for excellence in eyecare at the Medical Arts Surgery Center at Baptist Hospital explains how the tiny implant works.
[Showing how procedure is done]
Dr. Carlos Buznego:
The eye stent would be about the size of the digits in the date of a penny, so it's something that's minuscule. We can now with this procedure at the same time as the cataract surgery, introduce the eye stent, it just adds a handful of minutes to the procedure, and it allows the pressure to be relieved as the fluid drains through the stent passed the plugged area of drainage inside the eye.
[Doctors performing procedure]
Emilio Marrero:
Marrero says his vision has been restored and he is happy to be off the constant medications.
Juan Marrero:
I cannot be happier actually. Before surgery, I was not skeptic of doing it because I knew I had to do it, I had no choice. I was taking actually several drops a day for both eyes. I believe I was in and out in approximately about 30 minutes or so.
Emilio Marrero:
Glaucoma is a serious condition that affects nearly 3 million Americans, mostly those above the age of 60. Increased interocular pressure can cause damage of the optic nerve and left untreated, glaucoma can cause permanent loss of vision. Some eye stent patients are able to discontinue their medications.
Dr. Carlos Buznego:
Patients entering the study were on one to three medications before their surgery and after surgery, 80% of patients were able to eliminate the need for drops.
Emilio Marrero:
For Baptist Health South Florida News, I'm Emilio Marrero reporting.
[Baptist Health South Florida]

[End Transcript]