Eyeworld

STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINED DELIVERY sponsored content In the Phase 3 clinical trials, the bimatoprost 10 mg in- tracameral implant, marketed with the brand name Durysta (Allergan, an AbbVie company) was shown to be non-infe- rior to timolol BID at 12 weeks. With one implant, which is what is approved in the U.S., Dr. Grover said there was not significant damage to endothelial cell health observed, compared to control. Real-world outcomes with sustained release Dr. Teymoorian and Dr. Sarkisian presented their real-world outcomes. "Usually at this point I'm in the audience think- ing, 'How does this relate to me?' This is where my study came into play. I wanted to share with you my experience with this in terms of its effectiveness and safety," he said. Dr. Teymoorian said their retrospective study included consecutive patients with ocular hypertension or primary open angle glaucoma. Unlike the clinical trials, his study included mostly pseudophakic patients. "I found that in real practice settings, starting out with pseudophakic patients are a lot easier," he said, adding later that most patients were white and had the implant placed in both eyes. Dr. Teymoorian said that when patients have a refer- ence of cataract surgery, they seem to be more amenable to the implant, which he described as an injection into an eye that's already had surgery. He also said that being pseudophakic can improve the anatomy of the eye for the implant, making any risk of endothelial issues even less with the deeper chamber. "When you're first trying to introduce this to a patient who has never had surgery before, who is phakic, that dis- cussion can be a little bit different," he said. by EyeWorld Staff T here has been a shift in recent years among many glaucoma specialists to see glaucoma in more of an interventional state, according to Davinder Grover, MD, who spoke at an EyeWorld Corporate Lunch Program, sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs, at the 2024 ASCRS Subspecialty Day in Boston, Massachusetts. To establish some background on why the shift toward interventional glaucoma has occurred, Dr. Grover, Savak Teymoorian, MD, and Steven Sarkisian Jr., MD, shared pa- pers that showed data such as: The more patients missed their IOP-lowering medications, the more likely they were to have progression. 1 Glaucoma prevalence is impacted by racial/ethnic, sex/ gender, and socioeconomic disparities. 2 As Dr. Grover put it, disparities in these areas can influence a patient's adherence to their topical glaucoma management. SLT may provide better long-term glaucoma control than initial topical drops. 3 "Are there other ways of addressing glaucoma besides drops? We talked about SLT. Let's talk about the bimatoprost implant," Dr. Teymoorian said. He later added, "when pa- tients ask me what it is, I say, 'Imagine a glass of water. I'm going to put a little antacid in there and it's going to sit and dissolve over a period of time. Similarly, we put the implant in the eye, and it dissolves. The good news is we can either reduce or eliminate your drops. You'll get drug delivery throughout the day and the night. That's going to prevent you from having to put eye drops in, which is going to make your life easier, make your wallet happier, but also make you more compliant.'" About the physicians Davinder Grover, MD Glaucoma, Cataract, and Anterior Segment Surgeon Director of Research Glaucoma Associates of Texas Dallas, Texas Savak Teymoorian, MD Harvard Eye Associates Laguna Hills, California Steven Sarkisian Jr., MD Founder, CEO Oklahoma Eye Surgeons Oklahoma City, Oklahoma References 1. Newman-Casey PA, et al. The association between medication adherence and visual field progression in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS). Ophthalmology. 2020;127:477–483. 2. Elam AR, et al. Disparities in vision health and eye care. Ophthalmology. 2022;129:e89–e113. 3. Gazzard G, et al. Laser in Glaucoma and Ocular Hyper- tension (LiGHT) trial: six-year results of primary selective laser trabeculoplasty versus eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Ophthalmology. 2023;130:139–151. Relevant disclosures Grover: AbbVie Teymoorian: AbbVie Sarkisian: AbbVie Contact Grover: dgrover@glaucomaassociates.com Teymoorian: savakteymoorian@hotmail.com Sarkisian: drsarkisian@okeyesurgeons.com

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