The largest study of the iStent inject W trabecular micro-bypass combined with cataract surgery for Asian eyes with glaucoma found it reduced intraocular pressure (IOP) and halved medication costs.

The two-year post-market surveillance study of Glaukos’ minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device included 214 eyes of Japanese patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) (48.6%) or normal tension glaucoma (NTG) (46.3%) who underwent phacoemulsification.

Writing in Clinical Ophthalmology, researchers said the overall cohort experienced IOP reductions of 2.0mmHg and 1.9 in mean number of medications; in NTG eyes, IOP reduction was estimated to be 2.0mmHg with mean medication reductions of 2.6. “The clinical benefit of reducing glaucoma medications translated into a 50% reduction in average monthly medication costs; NTG eyes had a 63% cost reduction,” they concluded.

Minimal adverse events were reported 24 months post-surgery and only 2% of eyes required additional glaucoma surgery, they said.

“Given the high prevalence of NTG in Japan, the observed IOP and medication reductions in this OAG subgroup – along with lower hazard of failure compared to the POAG cohort – provide confidence in the use of this MIGS as a suitable interventional glaucoma treatment option for the Japanese population,” reported the research team.