Glaucoma Awareness Month
Glaucoma is a silent disease causing irreversible damage to the optic nerve and there’s a new treatment FDA approved in time for Glaucoma Awareness Month. “Early detection and early intervention through updated treatment options are key to preventing vision loss,” says Dr. Deborah Gess Ristvedt, an ophthalmologist at Vance Thompson Vision’s Alexandria, MN location.
“Treatment for glaucoma has evolved in a positive direction in the last decade,” says Vance Thompson Vision Sioux Falls Optometrist Dr. Justin Schweitzer. “These treatment options include new drop innovations, glaucoma drug delivery procedures, and minimally invasive glaucoma procedures. All these additional treatments have provided a better experience for the patient without sacrificing the ultimate goal of preserving vision.”
At Vance Thompson Vision, we are dedicated to bringing innovative and safe research trials to our patients with the hope of improving eye care for countless people in the future. By joining a clinical trial, you can be one of the first people to get a new treatment. One of our very own patients received the first iDose®TR implant several years ago, which now received FDA approval for the treatment of glaucoma. Dr. John Berdahl, the first surgeon in the United States to implant an iDose, shares what this FDA approval means.
“With the next generation of procedural pharmaceutical solutions for glaucoma such as iDose TR, we now have a new tool that will confront the standard legacy practice of relying on topical drops, which are known to cause uncomfortable side effects and present a myriad of challenges such as treatment adherence, complex dosing regimens, and difficulty with self-administration,” says John Berdahl, MD, surgeon and researcher at Vance Thompson Vision. “The clinical data suggest that iDoseTR is not only effective with a favorable safety profile, but it has potential to relieve patients from the burdens of prescription eye drops for an extended period of time. I look forward to adding this novel therapy into my treatment toolbox for the benefit of my patients.”
Honor Glaucoma Awareness Month this January by scheduling a routine eye exam with your local eye doctor and show support to those suffering. For more information, contact Vance Thompson Vision at 605-371-7121 or email melissa.palmer@vancethompsonvision.com