Abu Dhabi hospital becomes first in region to offer innovative glaucoma treatment

Abu Dhabi hospital becomes first in region to offer innovative glaucoma treatment

New technology can immediately lower eye pressure.

Sleep well for sparkling eyes

Published: Wed 9 Feb 2022, 5:35 PM

Three patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD) have become the first in the region to receive an innovative minimally invasive treatment for glaucoma, a common eye condition where the optic nerve becomes damaged because of an increased pressure caused by fluid build-up in the front part of the eye.

The new technology is able to immediately lower eye pressure and effectively treat the progressive damage that glaucoma can cause to the optic nerve, while reducing or eliminating the reliance on medication in most patients.

The new minimally invasive PreserFlo MicroShunt procedure involves inserting a small biocompatible stent into the drainage system of the eye in order to shunt intraocular fluid and lower pressure inside the eye. This procedure enables patients to quickly recover at home. Patients can generally return to normal, non-strenuous activities within a few days, and to a normal lifestyle within a few weeks.

Dr Jason A. Goldsmith, a staff physician in the Eye Institute at CCAD, who was part of the care team for these patients, noted that glaucoma is one of the main causes of vision loss in the UAE.

“The expansion of