Kathy C. Yang-Williams, OD FAAO

Enthusiasm continues to grow for the potential of digital health to transform CV care.

Kathy Yang-Williams OD FAAO: The Tube vs. Trabeculectomy (TVT) study has influenced my recommendations for tube shunt surgery. I would traditionally recommend tube shunt surgery for those patients with complicated glaucoma who have failed most other surgical interventions. This would typically include patients who have been treated for uveitic glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma or who have had a history of prior ocular surgery with extensive conjunctival scarring. The TVT has changed my recommendations for tube shunt surgery and I am more likely to consider a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) for a larger range of patients than before.

Surgical innovations continually improve our ability to manage nerve damage secondary to increased intraocular pressure (IOP). Novel procedures are under development that may revolutionize the way patients with progressive glaucoma are treated. The decision to refer a patient for glaucoma surgery is a complicated one and has been affected by the availability of more anti-glaucoma agents than ever before.