In this episode of the Interventional Glaucoma Podcast, Prof. Gus Gazzard speaks with Dr. Marc Töteberg-Harms and Dr. Timothy Hamann about the health economics of interventional glaucoma. They discuss how MIGS can deliver long-term savings and quality-of-life benefits despite higher upfront costs, highlight evidence supporting its cost-effectiveness, and emphasize the growing ethical responsibility for clinicians to discuss MIGS options with eligible cataract patients.
The Interventional Glaucoma Podcast
Episode 18: Health Economics in Interventional Glaucoma
Key Takeaways
- Health economics helps ensure glaucoma treatments deliver value by balancing costs with clinical outcomes and quality of life.
- MIGS procedures involve higher upfront costs but provide long-term savings through reduced medication use, fewer surgeries, and better vision preservation.
- Evidence from ELIOS studies shows these procedures are safe, effective, and cost-effective across different healthcare systems.
- Clinicians have an increasing ethical responsibility to discuss MIGS options with glaucoma patients undergoing cataract surgery.
- Ongoing research, randomized trials, and real-world data are essential to demonstrate cost-effectiveness and support wider adoption of interventional glaucoma approaches.
Guests
Prof. Gus Gazzard
Prof. Gus Gazzard is Director of Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Professor in Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Studies at UCL London. He has joined the Glaucoma Research Society as one of the top 100 glaucoma researchers in the field and is leading author of multiple publications on MIGS surgery. He was voted in the World’s Top 10 Most Influential Ophthalmologists for several years.
Dr. Marc Toeteberg-Harms
Dr. Toeteberg-Harms relocated in 2024 to Iowa City, IA and is on the faculty of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Prior, he was Associate Professor for the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. Prior to his faculty position at the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Toeteberg served as Director of Glaucoma Service and Director of Inpatient Ophthalmology for the University Hospital Zurich, in Switzerland. After completing his residency training in Germany and Switzerland, Dr. Toeteberg completed a clinical and basic research fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, MA and at Case Western Reserve Univeristy in Cleveland, OH.
Dr. Timothy Hamann
Dr. Timothy Hamann is Head of the Glaucoma Service at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. He completed a clinical glaucoma fellowship at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK, and a research fellowship in multimodal imaging and artificial intelligence at University Hospital Zurich. He is a passionate surgeon and researcher with a focus on clinical studies and application of multimodal imaging, recognised with several awards.
Additional Resources
Follow Prof Gus Gazzard on Social:
Professor Gus Gazzard | LinkedIn
Follow Dr Marc Toeteberg-Harms on Social:
Dr Marc Toeteberg-Harms | Linkedin
Follow Dr Timothy Hamann on Social:
Dr Timothy Hamann | Linkedin
Episode 19: ELIOS – What does the data tell us?
In this episode of the Interventional Glaucoma Podcast, our experts Prof. Gus Gazzard, Prof. Cédric Schweitzer and Dr. Marc Töteberg-Harms discuss the evidence, safety, and long-term data behind interventional glaucoma
Episode 17: Excimer fundamentals
In this episode, Prof. Gus Gazzard joins Dr. Neeru Vallabh and Mr. Dirk Mühlhoff to explore how excimer laser technology is reshaping glaucoma care through precise, non-thermal trabecular treatments.
Episode 16: Integrating Glaucoma Surgery into Your Phaco Routine
In this episode, Prof. Verena Prokosch and Ms. Nishani Amerasinghe explore integrating MIGS with cataract surgery, highlighting how laser trabecular procedures enhance outcomes when combined with phacoemulsification.