Glaucoma Center
Shah Eye Center Surgeon First in Rio Grande Valley to Perform Breakthrough Glaucoma Surgical Procedure
Mission, TX, August 19, 2011 - Dr. Carlos Diaz, board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, made local medical history by being the first ophthalmologist in the Rio Grande Valley to perform Canaloplasty surgery, an advanced surgical treatment for glaucoma.
“Canaloplasty uses revolutionary microcatheter technology to enlarge the eye’s natural drainage system,” said Dr. Diaz, “it’s similar to angioplasty but for the eye.” Doctors Diaz and Shah of Shah Eye Center received special training from iScience Interventional® (Menlo Park, CA) the company that invented the iTrack 250A® microcatheter used in Canaloplasty surgery.
Dr. Pankaj Shah, also board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, was the second ophthalmologist in the Valley to perform this procedure. “What makes canaloplasty unique from traditional surgical glaucoma procedures is that it is less invasive, has far fewer side effects and post-operative complications and in many instances patients can greatly reduce or even eliminate their usage of topical glaucoma drops which are extremely expensive.”
The World Health Organization lists glaucoma as the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, cataract surgery being the first. It is often referred to as because many people don’t realize they have glaucoma. Unf the sneak thief of sight, which has no cure. Often an early diagnoses and treatment is the only way to control glaucoma before vision loss or blindness occurs. Dr. Diaz characterized Canaloplasty as, a real breakthrough for those with glaucoma. “We insert a microcatheter into the eye’s drainage system canal which cleans it out. This allows the fluid to drain from the eye much more efficiently. Then we remove the microcatheter and place a suture within the canal to keep it open. This restores the eye’s natural drainage system and the pressure inside the eye is typically lowered."
What is Glaucoma?
Information about your visual world is transmitted from the eye’s optic nerve to the brain. Glaucoma is a condition that damages the eye's optic nerve. This damage is usually — but not always — caused by the buildup of naturally occurring fluid within the eye. When fluid cannot escape through the eye's clogged drainage system, the resulting pressure causes the optic nerve to deteriorate, resulting in vision loss and blindness.
