In this episode of The Interventional Glaucoma Podcast, Professor Christophe Baudouin, Mr Gok Ratnarajan, and Dr Ana Miguel discuss the impact of glaucoma treatments on patients’ quality of life, emphasising the benefits of minimally-invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) in reducing reliance on eye drops and improving overall patient well-being.
The Interventional Glaucoma Podcast
Episode 8: TM-MIGS: Impact on patient quality of life
Key Takeaways
- Impact on quality of life: Glaucoma treatments, especially long-term use of eye drops, can significantly impact patients’ quality of life, leading to issues such as dry eye and ocular surface disease.1
- The importance of MIGS: MIGS, such as phaco-plus procedures, offer a safer and less invasive alternative to traditional glaucoma surgeries by targeting the trabecular meshwork, with the added benefit of reducing the need for eye drops.
- Customised treatment goals: Treatment goals should be tailored to each patient with consideration for factors such as disease severity, life expectancy, and the impact of treatments on quality of life.
- Measuring success: Success in glaucoma treatment is often measured by IOP, but the other measures of success should include the reduction of eye drops, given its substantial impact on patients’ quality of life, as well as the preservation of ocular surface health and enhancement of long-term treatment options.
- Challenges in measuring quality of life: Measuring quality of life in glaucoma patients is complex and subjective, requiring better patient-reported outcome measures to accurately assess the benefits of different treatments.
- Shift in surgical thresholds: The availability of MIGS procedures has lowered the threshold for cataract surgery in glaucoma patients, allowing for earlier intervention to address both cataract and glaucoma simultaneously.
- Holistic approach: A holistic approach to glaucoma management is necessary considering the psychological impact of a glaucoma diagnosis and the daily reminder of the condition through treatments. MIGS can help mitigate these impacts and improve overall patient satisfaction.
Guests
Professor Gus Gazzard
Professor Gus Gazzard is the Director of Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital. He is also a Professor in Ophthalmology, specialising in Glaucoma Studies at UCL London. As a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Professor Gazzard’s expertise lies in the medical, laser, and surgical treatment of glaucoma, as well as small incision and complex cataract surgery. He is the recipient of the “NHS National Silver Merit Award” and is both organiser and lecturer at The Moorfields International Glaucoma Symposium (MIGS).
Professor Christophe Baudouin
Professor Christophe Baudouin, Silver Fellow of ARVO and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, is a professor of Ophthalmology at Versailles Saint-Quentin - Paris Saclay University and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Quinze-Vingts National Ophthalmology Hospital, Paris. He has authored over 400 papers and currently serves as president of the European Dry Eye Society, editor-in-chief of the French Journal of Ophthalmology, and vice-president of the French Glaucoma Society.
Mr Gok Ratnarajan
Mr Gok Ratnarajan is the Director of the Glaucoma Service at Queen Victoria Hospital and a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in Cataract, Glaucoma and Anterior Segment Reconstructive Surgery. He is one of the few surgeons worldwide fellowship-trained in glaucoma, complex cataract, and anterior segment reconstructive surgery.
Dr Ana Miguel
Dr. Ana Miguel is the first surgeon in Normandy and Brittany to perform XEN minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) since 2018. She is an Ophthalmologist at Polyclinique de la Baie and is a leading clinical researcher in glaucoma with over 23 publications
Additional Resources
References:
- Glaucoma and Dry Eye Disease: Opportunity to Assess and Treat
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Dr Ana Miguel | LinkedIn
Episode 11: Routine Phaco+ MIGS: Are we there yet?
Professor Gus Gazzard, Ms. Nishani Amerasinghe, and Dr Jose Belda discuss the concept of routine Phaco Plus.
Episode 10: Glaucoma Management Five Years From Now
Dr. Karl Mercieca, Dr. Gok Ratnarajan, and Dr. Ana Miguel discuss the future of glaucoma management.
Episode 9: Physician experiences with ELIOS and the rationale for routinely combining MIGS with cataract surgery
Dr Jose Belda, Dr María Isabel Canut, and Dr Marta Ibarz discuss the rationale and benefits of routinely combining MIGS with cataract surgery.