Twelve-Month Efficacy And Safety Outcomes Of The First Uk Series Of Miniject Supraciliary Implant

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of the MINIject (iSTAR Medical, Wavre, Belgium) supraciliary, microinvasive glaucoma drainage device in patients with progressive primary open angle, primary angle closure and normal tension glaucoma.

Colchester Eye Centre of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Consecutive patients received MINIject between 03/2022 and 12/2022. Primary outcome was reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included success at 12 months, defined as IOP ≤18 mmHg and reduction of at least 1 glaucoma medication. Other secondary outcomes included IOP at other follow-up time points, reduction in glaucoma medications, intraoperative and postoperative complications and need for further glaucoma surgery.

Forty-one (21 male and 20 female) patients were included. Standalone MINIject was implanted in 11 eyes and in 30 eyes it was combined with phacoemulsification. Preoperative IOP was 18.23 mmHg on 2.26 medications and this was reduced by 2.91 mmHg to 15.31 mmHg (p=0.03) on 1.69 (p<0.001) medications. At 12 months, success rate was 80%. Regarding intraoperative complications, 2 patients had haemorrhage in the anterior chamber (AC) that was managed successfully without any intervention. Only one patient had significant postoperative hyphaema that needed AC washout the first week. No patients needed subsequent glaucoma surgery.

This first in the UK study shows promising IOP-lowering results and medication reduction over 12 months with few adverse events.