A recent study published in the medical journal, Ophthalmology, shows the effectiveness of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) for open-angle glaucoma. The study compared two different types of stents—the Hydrus Microstent and two different versions of the Glaukos iStent Trabecular Micro-bypass.*

What they did 

The clinical trial included 152 participants with mild to late-moderate stage disease without previous glaucoma surgery. It was conducted in multiple centers in nine countries outside of the United States. The goal of the study was to analyze the safety and effectiveness of both devices in lowering eye pressure and reducing the need for eye drop medications over 12 months. 

Moreover, the trial was conducted without the confounding effect of cataract surgery, which has also been shown to lower intraocular eye pressure or IOP.

What they found

The results showed that:

• Forty-seven percent (47%) of eyes in the Hydrus Microstent group did not need medication versus 24% of eyes in the iStent group.
• Medication use was reduced on average by 61% in the Hydrus Microstent group, compared to a reduction of one medication, or 37%, in the iStent group.
• Seventy-three percent (73%) of patients receiving the Hydrus Microstent achieved at least a 20% reduction in IOP while on fewer medications compared to 47% of the iStent group.

What it means

“This publication illustrates the clinical advantages of the Hydrus and its unique, proprietary Tri-Modal mechanism of action, while also underscoring the high caliber of evidence-based medicine the community has come to expect from Ivantis,” according to Dave Van Meter, president and CEO of Ivantis.

So, how does the Hydrus Microstent work?

The Hydrus Microstent, no bigger than an eyelash, is a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device created to reduce eye pressure by improving flow through Schlemm’s canal, considered the eye’s outflow pathway. “When the microstent is placed in the canal during minimally invasive microsurgery, the device restores the flow of fluid in the eye, using a Tri-Modal mechanism of action,” according to a press release by Ivantis. 

As stated by Ivantis, the process goes as such:

1. The Hydrus Microstent creates a bypass through the trabecular meshwork, allowing outflow of aqueous humor (AH).
2. The stent then dilates and scaffolds Schlemm’s canal to augment outflow.
3. Its length spans 90 degrees of the canal to provide consistent access to the fluid collector channels in the eye.

The Hydrus Microstent has been used in more than 4,000 cases globally in controlled clinical studies and registries and patients with a wide range of disease severities.

*Ivantis. (2019, April 23). Ivantis Announces Publication of Comparative MIGS Clinical Trial Results. Eyewire News. https://eyewire.news/articles/ivantis-announces-publication-of-comparative-migs-clinical-trial-results/