Early Real-World Safety And Efficacy Of Minimally Invasive Nasal Trabeculostomy (Mint™) In Patients With Open-Angle Glaucoma

To report early clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of minimally invasive nasal trabeculostomy (MINT™), an ab interno, stent-less trabecular-opening device for open-angle glaucoma, used either as a standalone surgery or in combination with cataract surgery.

Procedures were performed at the Goldschleger Eye Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Israel, by two experienced glaucoma surgeons between November 2025 and February 2026.

Retrospective review of consecutive eyes undergoing MINT™ at a single center. Demographic and clinical data were collected from electronic medical records. Follow-up visits were conducted at 1 and 4 weeks postoperatively. Paired t-tests were used to compare preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and glaucoma medication use.

Twelve eyes of 11 patients (mean age 73.6±5.8 years; 67% male) were included (3 standalone, 9 combined). Diagnoses were primary open-angle glaucoma (n=6), pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (n=5), and one case of normal-tension glaucoma. Baseline Humphrey visual field mean deviation was −8.38±6.42 dB. Mean IOP was 19.9±4.5 mmHg, decreasing to 18.2±4.9 mmHg at week 1 (−8.8%, p=0.21) and 16.5±6.5 mmHg at week 4 (−18.7%, p=0.039). Baseline glaucoma medication use was 1.8±0.9 drops, with no significant change at 4 weeks (p=0.34). No intraoperative complications occurred; one transient steroid-related IOP rise and one mild anterior chamber inflammation resolved with topical therapy (combined case).

To our knowledge, this is the first report of real-world outcomes of MINT™. The procedure demonstrated a favorable short-term safety profile and achieved a statistically significant IOP reduction at 4 weeks, with stable medication burden. No intraoperative and only minimal postoperative complications were observed. Larger studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm durability and long-term safety.