Americus, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2015 -- Dr. Matthew Greene, of Regional Eye Center in Americus, GA has just introduced the addition of an innovative, new technology, the Glaukos iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass stent, which will revolutionize the way that glaucoma is treated from now and into the future, by improving outflow of fluids from the eye, to safely lower inner eye pressure without the need for eye drops or other medications.

Glaucoma is an eye condition in which the bundle of nerves at the back of the eye that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain, called the optic nerve, is damaged as a result of rising inner eye pressure. Bringing down this eye pressure and maintaining this lowered pressure is extremely important for reducing the risk of vision loss that can result from glaucoma.

Until now, maintaining healthy inner eye pressure with glaucoma has been done mainly through special prescription eye drops and other medications. Dr. Greene comments, however, "It can sometimes be hard to keep up with your eye drops and medications, causing potentially harmful effects. Forgetting to take your eye drops can cause large changes in your eye pressure, increasing the risk for vision loss. This is why the iStent is such an incredible innovation. It allows for lowered intraocular pressure in a passive way, that doesn't rely on you to remember to take your medications or put in your eye drops."

Dr. Greene says that "With the iStent, about 3 out of 4 patients experience a lowering of the eye pressure to a degree that they can be taken off of one or more glaucoma medication."

iStent is placed in a patient's eye during his/her glaucoma surgery, so there is no need for an extra surgery to place it. It is also the smallest medical device ever approved by the FDA, weighing in at 6/10,000,000 of a gram and measuring only 1 mm. This makes for an extremely comfortable and invisible permanent medical solution. Dr. Greene adds, "Patients won't see or feel their new iStent after surgery, but it will be continuously working to help reduce their eye pressure, in most cases allowing them to dump their meds and live a life of better vision and overall healthier eyes."