Glaucoma, or optic nerve damage, is the second leading cause of blindness in America and affects over 3 million adults each year. There is a certain urgency felt about treating glaucoma, as unlike other vision issues, there is no way to reverse glaucoma once it has already damaged the optic nerves. This is why medical science has been racing for a viable solution for glaucoma treatment. At Wichita Vision Institute in Witchita, KS, Dr. Patel is confident that OMNI surgery is one of the most reliable and innovative surgeries for glaucoma.
What Is OMNI?
OMNI is a single-use surgical tool that helps correct the main cause of glaucoma, which is a build-up of fluid that puts pressure on the optic nerve that results in irreversible damage. This surgery is an innovative combination of two leading treatments for glaucoma, meaning the procedure addresses both the cause of glaucoma and the need for preventative measures against further glaucoma at the same time.
How Does This Surgery Work?
You can think of this surgery system as the installation of a drain in the eye which releases fluid pressure placed on the optic nerve. OMNI is sometimes referred to as a micro-catheter as it uses as a 360-degree method to restore the drainage system in the eye to stop fluid from building pressure. This is a minimally-invasive surgical treatment that can greatly improve or correct sight issues caused by glaucoma.
Will You Need a Consultation?
For this surgery, you will have to attend a consultation appointment as well as an extensive pre-operative exam. The consultation will include gathering your medical information, particularly any family history of glaucoma, the symptoms you are enduring, and how long symptoms have been present. Dr. Patel will examine your eyes and discuss all treatment options that are available to you.
At your pre-operative examination, Dr. Patel will gather several measurements about your eyes, including tonometry, gonioscopy, ophthalmoscopy, perimetry, and optical coherence tomography.
Each of these measurements will check your intraocular pressure, the drainage angle of your eye, an assessment of your retina and optic nerves, and your baseline visual field. These measurements will help Dr. Patel decide if OMNI is the right treatment for you, or if another glaucoma treatment is more appropriate for your particular needs.
What Steps Are Involved in Treatment?
There are a few steps that are involved in this treatment. If you are only having glaucoma surgery, then the three main steps you can anticipate include:
Step One: IV Sedative and Anesthetic Eye Drops
We will give you a mild IV sedative and administer anesthetic eye drops to prepare you for surgery. Both the sedative and the anesthetic drops will keep you comfortable for the duration of the treatment.
Step Two: Incision and Microcatheter
A small incision will be made over your cornea to access the natural drain of your eye, generally about 2 to 4mm wide. The incision allows Dr. Patel to insert a small micro-catheter into this natural drain to deliver elastic fluid to the eye. Sometimes it is necessary to remove Trabecular meshwork at the top of the natural drain. Thermal energy is used to free the natural flow of fluid in the eye.
Step Three: Closing
Once all steps of your surgery have been complete, the incisions will be closed and you will be directed to rest before attending your post-operative examination with Dr. Patel.
How Long Does Treatment Take?
This procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete from start to finish, making it one of the quickest eye surgeries available.
What Is Recovery Like?
The time it will take for you to recover from glaucoma surgery varies patient to patient depending on the severity of glaucoma, the age of the patient, and how well you respond to the treatment. Overall, most patients recover from this surgery within 3 to 6 weeks, with the majority of patients free to return to all normal daily activities, including work and exercise, within 3 to 7 days after treatment.
Post-Treatment Instructions
During your post-operative examination, Dr. Patel will give you a list of post-treatment instructions to follow during your recovery, as well as certain prescriptions to use, such as antibiotics or medical-grade eye drops. Some post-treatment instructions include:
- Use your prescriptions
- Avoid direct sunlight
- No touching or rubbing the eye
- Do not wear eye make-up
- Avoid strenuous activity and heavy lifting
Follow-Up Appointments
Aside from your immediate follow-up appointment with Dr. Patel, you will also be asked to attend one or more appointments during your recovery time to assess how well you are healing from the surgery. These appointments will also determine if surgery was effective for releasing pressure on your optic nerve, or if other treatments need to be considered.
What Results Should You Expect?
Many patients report experiencing better or clearer vision as soon as 24 to 48 hours after treatment. However, results for this treatment are generally most apparent within 1 to 3 weeks following the procedure. For some patients, vision isn’t fully restored until 6 weeks post-operation.
How Long Do Results Last?
Results for glaucoma surgery are very rarely permanent, however the results of this treatment are long-lasting. Some patients can enjoy the results of this surgery for 18 months or more at a time, making it one of the longer-lasting and sustainable treatments for chronic glaucoma, especially glaucoma that is hereditary.
Glaucoma Surgery FAQ
1. What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is actually an umbrella term referring to a collection of eye disorders that cause fluid pressure to build-up in the eye, which eventually damages the optic nerve. All types of glaucoma are caused by a faulty natural drain in the eye, which prevents eye fluid from being drained normally.
A good way to think about glaucoma is to compare it to a river dam that builds up too much pressure and ends up causing massive floods or damage. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve because the eye is only able to withstand a certain amount of intraocular pressure; when there is too much damage on the optic nerves, visual perception and vision begin to suffer.
If untreated, glaucoma can result in permanent loss of vision from the damaged optic nerve. However, there are many treatments for glaucoma that can delay or prevent the worsening of optic nerve damage.
Symptoms
While there are many symptoms that are associated with all types of glaucoma, the most common symptoms include:
- Blurred vision
- Blank spots in vision
- Eye pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Red eyes
- Halos in vision
- Increased difficulty seeing
- Sudden vision loss
- Excessive tearing
- Uneven eye size
2. What Causes Glaucoma?
There are several causes of glaucoma, which ultimately means it may be difficult to pin the cause of your glaucoma down to any one cause, especially if you have multiple factors, such as both family history and disease. The main causes of glaucoma include:
- Age
- Elevated eye pressure
- Family history
- Farsightedness or nearsightedness
- Past eye injuries
- African, Spanish, Asian ancestry
- Thinner central corneal thickness
- Diabetes
- Migraine headaches
- Poor circulation
Glaucoma does not only happen to adults – infants and toddlers can also develop glaucoma, especially if there is a congenital disorder or family history. This means that age is not always a factor in the development of glaucoma, so it is possible for people of any age to develop this disorder.
3. Can You Have Glaucoma and Cataract Surgery at the Same Time?
Yes. It is perfectly possible to combine both glaucoma and cataract surgery into one procedure. This is because it is common for these two conditions to be comorbid or co-occurring with each other.
Cataracts, the clouding of the lens over the cornea, and glaucoma, intraocular pressure damaging the optic nerve, can happen at the same time, particularly to older adults or adults who have diseases such as diabetes.
Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery involves clearing away the cloudy film on the natural lens over the pupil, which can distort vision and make it impossible to see. Cataract surgery usually includes breaking up and extracting cataracts from the eye, and then inserting an artificial lens called an intraocular lens that helps correct vision.
Intraocular Lenses
There are many intraocular lenses to select from when you have independent cataract surgery or cataract surgery combined with glaucoma surgery. For example, PanOptix are multifocal lens that corrects vision from three focal points, near, intermediate, and far.
Toric and Toric II lenses are also multifocal but are generally more commonly used to help with nearsighted vision and the ability to see in dimmer light. If you need intraocular lenses, Dr. Patel will help you determine the lenses that are best suited to your vision needs.
4. Do You Need to Get Glaucoma Surgery?
Glaucoma is a condition that will not resolve itself – in fact, it will get worse over time and may cause blindness if left untreated. If you have glaucoma, then it is strongly recommended you seek glaucoma surgery to prevent further vision complications. It’s best to seek glaucoma surgery when the symptoms of glaucoma begin to appear, especially if those symptoms include blank spots in your vision or sudden vision loss.
5. What Are Other Treatments for Glaucoma?
There are other treatments for glaucoma that might help manage the build-up of eye fluid that causes pressure to be placed on the optic nerve. For example, oral medications and eye drops are sometimes used to slow the pressurization of fluid in the eye.
There are also laser treatments that can unblock the natural drain in the eye, which will release fluid pressure. Sometimes medication and laser surgery are used together or as an alternative to drainage surgeries for glaucoma.
6. Will You Need Another Surgery?
It is likely that you will require another surgery in the future, largely because glaucoma is considered a chronic condition. While the results of this surgery may last for a few years, the results are not permanent, and to prevent future vision impairment, you will likely require another treatment.
8. Are There Any Medical Restrictions?
No, there are no medical restrictions associated with this procedure. In fact, this glaucoma surgery is compatible with all people who have glaucoma, regardless of the angle of their natural drainage system. Some other treatments for glaucoma require certain drain angles that limit accessibility.
9. Are You a Good Candidate for OMNI?
Anyone who requires a lowering of intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma is a good candidate for this procedure. If you are enduring symptoms of glaucoma, even mild symptoms, then you are qualified for this treatment.
Protect Your Sight With OMNI Glaucoma Surgery
Glaucoma can be a terrifying chronic condition to have, as it can result in permanent loss of vision. However, there are more treatments for glaucoma than ever, which means no patient is left behind when they seek help. If you think that OMNI might be right for you, please contact Wichita Vision Institute in Witchita, KS to schedule your consultation.
I Can See Clearly Now
by Don Burrows
Category: cataract surgeryDr. Patel saved my wife’s vision and mine too. I now live 770 miles from her office and would still make the trip, even if it required a cross-country trip.
I highly recommend Dr. Patel
by Jim Guhl
Category: cataract surgeryDr. Patel is a physician whose sincere goal is to improve the quality of life for her patients. When I first became a patient under Dr. Patel’s care, I was diagnosed with cataracts in both of my eyes; dry eye syndrome; and astigmatism. Previous records from my Lasik surgery, which occurred 17 years ago, were no longer available. The Lasik surgery documentation was important in determining the exact corrections that now needed to be made to properly correct my astigmatism. Dr. Patel wisely recommended I postpone the cataract removal and astigmatism correction procedure, until she received newly developed diagnostic equipment. This newly developed technology would provide her with the most accurate metrics possible. New specialized lens implants were also becoming available, which would correct my astigmatism. Dr. Patel explained my chances for a successful outcome would be significantly increased if I would be patient and wait a little longer. Dr. Patel is truly a physician with high integrity and would never perform surgery until she knew it was the right time. She truly cares about providing her patients with the best care she can. Dr. Patel successfully treated my dry eye symptoms with a regiment of eye drops, cleansing techniques and vitamins, which prevented me from requiring more extensive - and more expensive treatment. Prior to the surgery on my right eye, she provided me with sample eye drops from her office and coupons for the eye drops I would need to purchase after my surgery. She did all she could to reduce my expenses. During preparations for right eye surgery, Dr. Patel spent quality time with me explaining the results of my pre-surgery testing and asking questions to determine my vision goals. One of my desires was to once again see the front sight on a pistol. I thoroughly enjoyed going to the firing range, but due to the cataract in my right eye I could no longer see the sights, on my pistol. Although the cataract in my left eye was not as bad yet – I was also experiencing difficulty seeing and firing left handed. Using a blue gun (authentic plastic replica of a Sig P229 pistol), Dr. Patel took additional measurements which she used in determining the correct lens to implant, during my surgery. My right eye surgery took place on November 1, 2017. Two days after the surgery, I happened to glance at my mobile phone and for the first time in 10 years or more, I could read the information on the screen without glasses. I pulled the Sig out of its case and – wow! – The sight picture was there clear as a bell. So the right eye cataract is gone along with the rainbow halos around cars at night and the astigmatism has been corrected better than I dreamed possible. Quality of life restored! The process included the latest diagnostic equipment; the newest technology in an intraocular lens implant; and the use of a laser surgery technique performed by Dr. Patel. Sadly, insurance does not cover much of the cost for the process that produces the optimal results. When it comes to the long term correction of your vision and significant increase in the quality of life it is well worth the investment. Dr. Patel is a very accomplished and highly competent physician and surgeon. I will be forever grateful to her for restoring my vision. I highly recommend Dr. Patel. Jim Guhl Wichita, KS November 13, 2017
In Good Hands
by Luke F.
Category: lasik surgeryTalk about a life changing surgery!!! From the consultation to the surgery I knew I was in good hands. I would recommend WVI to anyone who is considering LASIK. Thanks WVI!
Life Changing!
by Ashley J.
Category: lasik surgeryI love Dr. Patel! After having my dreams crushed at another place when they told me I wasn't a candidate, I went to Dr Patel for a lasik consultation. She is very thorough and gave me information about my eyes that no doctor in almost 20 years has told me. A week ago I had Lasik and it has been life changing! I couldn't be happier and I'm so glad I chose Dr Patel. She truly cares about her patients and her passion shows. The wait time can be very long, but if you are prepared for that ahead of time, you won't be disappointed once you see the doctor. I'm recommending WVI to everyone I know. She is now the only doctor I trust for my eyes.
Impressed with Dr. Patel and Staff
by William D.
Category: cataract surgeryI first saw Dr. Patel about 6 years ago when my left eye wandered to the left side and stayed there. She sent me to the Dean McGee Eye Institute in Oklahoma City for further evaluation. No reason was ever found as to why it did that but it corrected itself after about two months. Since then I have been seeing Dr. Patel regularly. I damaged the left eye in an accident and had to have a vitrectomy performed. She referred me to another specialist Dr. Paul Weishaar and that outcome was also great. The eye did develop a cataract and she performed that surgery a few months ago and suggested a plan for treating dry eyes. It was outstanding and since wearing glasses for over 50 years, I now just wear sunglasses. Simply amazing. Dr. Patel and her staff are the greatest and they know other great professionals if the need arises. They also do charity work and they are all a total blessing to me. I would not even consider going anywhere else. Just gotta love them.
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