The PreserFlo Implant – A Proven Effective Tool in the Fight Against Glaucoma

Glaucoma – ‘the silent thief of sight’ – is often how this disease is described, as it ‘steals’ vision and quality of life from millions of people worldwide.

Glaucoma is a socially significant disease and is among the leading causes of irreversible blindness globally.

Over the last decade, the surgical treatment of glaucoma has evolved with the introduction of minimally invasive surgery. This type of surgery is characterized by the implantation of a surgical device (microimplant) designed to lower intraocular pressure.

In 2020, the Pentagram Eye Hospital and specifically Dr. Veselin Daskalov introduced one of the most innovative microimplants in Bulgaria – PreserFlo MicroShunt (Santen, Osaka, Japan). PreserFlo is made from polyurethane (styrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene), a biocompatible synthetic polymer also known as SIBS, certified in 2012.

WHAT IS THE PRESERFLO IMPLANT FOR GLAUCOMA TREATMENT explains Dr. Ralitsa Kermedchieva, Head of the Eye Department at the Pentagram Eye Hospital:

An interesting fact is that the material from which the PreserFlo micro-implant is made was first used in coronary stents and has shown excellent biocompatibility.

Until now, the most common surgery for glaucoma was the so-called classical trabeculectomy, in which a fistula was created between the anterior chamber of the eye and the subconjunctival space, allowing the intraocular fluid to drain and thus normalizing intraocular pressure.

Since this method caused serious complications, science has been working for many years to create suitable implants for this condition that can regulate the drainage of intraocular fluid, as excessively low intraocular pressure is also undesirable.

In the case of the PreserFlo Micro glaucoma implant, which we have been using at Pentagram Eye Hospital for 5 years, fluid drains through a 75-micron opening from the anterior chamber of the eye into the subconjunctival space. The creation of this implant took nearly 30 years of work by a Finnish company.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF GLAUCOMA SURGERY WITH PRESERFLO ?

– It is safe
– Minimally invasive (performed only under drop anesthesia)
– Allows quick recovery (does not require hospital stay)

The procedure with PreserFlo is minimally invasive, performed only under drop anesthesia and does not require a hospital stay. The patient is placed in a day surgery unit. The operation takes between 20 and 30 minutes, and just an hour after the intervention, the patient is free to go home.

This method has provided us with better opportunities to combat the progressive involvement of vision in glaucoma patients and better manage the disease.

RESULTS ACHIEVED FROM 2020 TO DATE:
– Reduction in intraocular pressure in 82% of treated patients
– For 91.3% of patients, no other medication therapy was required during the 2-year follow-up period

In 2023, we published our own results regarding the effectiveness of the PreserFlo microimplant based on a two-year follow-up of its impact on the eyes of 50 of our patients.

Following the procedure, we observed a reduction in intraocular pressure in 82% of cases, as well as a reduction in medication therapy, with 91.3% (42 patients) not requiring such therapy during the two-year follow-up period.

A low percentage of repeat surgical procedures was also recorded (15.2% – 7 patients).

The success of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery in recent years has also led to studies comparing the effectiveness of different microimplants, with many of them reporting the high effectiveness of the PreserFlo microimplant, which we also observed in the follow-up of our patients.

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Dr. Ralitsa Kermedchieva is the head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Pentagram Eye Hospital. She is a specialist ophthalmologist with more than 10 years of experience. She has completed numerous specializations in Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Austria, and her clinical interests include the diagnosis and surgical treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, corneal conditions, and eyelid pathology. In addition to these conditions, at the Pentagram Eye Hospital, she is involved in innovative pulse light therapy, which effectively alleviates Dry Eye Syndrome.

To schedule a consultation with our eye specialists: https://pentagram.bg/en/book-appointment/