A glaucoma diagnosis is often scary, as glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. While there is no cure for glaucoma, many treatment options can help preserve your vision. One of the newer options for open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) is Durysta. If you’re wondering whether Durysta is a better choice than eye drops, here is some information that can help you choose the right glaucoma treatment for you.
What Is Durysta?
Durysta is a bimatoprost intracameral implant that received FDA approval for the treatment of glaucoma in 2020. It’s a system that slowly releases bimatoprost – a medication that addresses high pressure in the eye – over the course of several months after insertion, allowing for the targeted delivery of bimatoprost to impacted tissues.
Durysta vs. Eye Drops
Durysta has better efficacy when compared to glaucoma eye drops. With eye drops, only a small percentage of the medication reaches the affected tissues. With Durysta, the implant is positioned in the intracameral cavity, allowing the medication to reach impacted tissues more reliably.
With Durysta, eye drops aren’t required. The implant delivers the medication steadily over several months, allowing treatment to occur with essentially no daily effort. Glaucoma eye drops are comparatively more cumbersome. Patients must remember to apply them in accordance with the outlined schedule to achieve the best results, and that can prove tricky in some cases.
Since Durysta involves the sustained release of medication, it can also reduce pressure fluctuations in the eye. The continuous delivery essentially leads to stability. In comparison, eye pressure fluctuations can occur when using eye drops. Mainly, that’s because the medication isn’t continuously present when using the eye drop treatment method, which can lead to less stability.
While minimally invasive glaucoma surgery alternatives require incisions, that isn’t necessary with Durysta. Instead, the implant is placed using a very fine gauge needle only, which could make it a strong option for patients who aren’t eligible for the other surgical approaches.
Glaucoma eye drops are also available to most patients who aren’t eligible for surgery. However, eye drops typically provide results that fall short of what’s possible with Durysta, which could make Durysta the better choice for some.
Choosing the Right Glaucoma Treatment
Durysta is highly convenient and very effective, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. If you’re trying to choose the best glaucoma treatment for your case, then consulting with your eye care provider is essential. They can help determine which of the available options are viable based on a variety of factors, ensuring you’re able to select a treatment that will meet your unique needs.
At ECVA, the safety and health of our patients’ eyes are our priority. If you’re trying to choose the right glaucoma treatment or simply haven’t visited your eye care provider in the past year, the ECVA team is here to help. Schedule an appointment at your closest ECVA clinic today
