MAY 10, 2013
Advances in Glaucoma Care: New Technologies in Pediatric Glaucoma
By David A. Plager, MD
Subspecialty Day 2012: Pediatric Ophthalmology
Pediatric Ophth/Strabismus
Dr. David A. Plager highlights two relatively new technologies that have improved the ability to treat both routine and complicated pediatric glaucoma cases: iCath-assisted 360-degree trabeculotomy and endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP). He notes that while ECP has been available since the mid-1990s, it has remained underappreciated. He says it offers a more preferable option for patients requiring cyclodestruction than the more traditional method of cyclocryotherapy, with the ability to visualize the ciliary processes and specifically target them with the destructive energy, allowing for a more effective and safer procedure. The iCath (iScience Interventional, Menlo Park, Calif.) microcatheter has a blinking red light on the tip that allows for visualization of the catheter as it is threaded around the Schlemm canal.