The iStent inject Trabecular Micro-Bypass System is used at the time of cataract surgery to lower pressures in patients with glaucoma. It is made by Glaukos, the company that also makes the original iStent Micro-Bypass Stent. The main difference between the iStent inject and the original iStent is that with the iStent inject, two stents are utilized, whereas the original iStent only uses one stent. The iStent inject is also significantly smaller, with the largest dimension only measuring 360 μm (or 0.360 mm) long.
Glaucoma is a medical condition where the pressure inside the eye is too high, leading to progressive optic nerve damage. Open angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma, is essentially a backing-up of fluid due to a drain that has become increasingly clogged. The main drain in the eye is called the trabecular meshwork.
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