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AquaFlow Collagen Drainage Device
A new alternative in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma is now available in the United States. The AquaFlow™ Collagen Glaucoma Drainage Device, which gained FDA approval in 2001, is a tiny wick-like device that is implanted to help lower pressure within the eye.
Approximately 3/4 of an inch long and the width of a pencil lead, it is implanted under the white of the eye and maintains a space created by your surgeon to increase fluid outflow and reduce your eye’s intraocular pressure (IOP). Within 6 to 9 months, the implant slowly dissolves, yet the space it occupied remains, allowing fluid to drain from the eye to keep pressure low.
The manufacturer of AquaFlow, STAAR Surgical of Monrovia, California, maintains that the implant and surgical procedure are safe and effective in reducing dangerously high IOP. They also claim that for those who have had the implant and new procedure, the need for pressure reducing medications is decreased or eliminated.
The AquaFlow device and procedure are intended for those who cannot control their IOP while using maximally tolerated medical therapy such as eye drops or systemic pressure-reducing drugs. For those who have angle-closure glaucoma or allergies to specific collagen products, this treatment is not for you.
The implanting procedure for AquaFlow, known as the non-penetrating deep sclerectomy, avoids many of the complications of standard filtration surgery. One of the difficulties with standard filtration surgery is that the pressure in the eye may drop very low for a few days after surgery. Complications and side effects can occur because of this low pressure. These may include bleeding within the eye, damage to the cornea, and sometimes scarring and loss of the anterior chamber (the front of the eye). Additionally, trabeculectomies generally fail at some point as the eye heals itself; repeat operations can be performed, but with decreasing success.
With the AquaFlow implant and procedure, which lasts about 30-45 minutes, patients can usually return to their normal activities within 24 hours. Though complications with the deep sclerectomy are rare, they are possible.
This article appeared in the Winter 2002 issue of Gleams. Subscribe