In early 2020, Georgia was in danger of her vision failing due to glaucoma, a condition that is caused by increased pressure in the eye due to an imbalance in production and outflow of ocular fluid, in both of her eyes. The highly active 75-year-old grandmother from Florida knew that if her cataracts and glaucoma and their associated risks went untreated, it would threaten her independence and reduce her quality of life – something she refused to let happen.
Maintaining Her Independence, Quality of Life
Georgia, a former school teacher, enjoys spending time with her family, being active in her church community, and staying in touch with her close-knit circle of friends. She takes pride in driving on her own, doing work around the house, and being able to independently do her normal daily routine, like putting her makeup on.
After Georgia learned that she had glaucoma, she was worried her independence would be at risk if she did not take action to address her eye health. Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease, and the longer you wait to seek treatment, the greater the possibility of visual impairment. Once vision is lost due to glaucoma, it cannot be regained.
In addition to concerns over maintaining her independence, Georgia was also grappling with her declining quality of life. Like many people living with glaucoma, Georgia has to apply medications every day to help manage her condition. Taking medications can be expensive, painful, and time-consuming, interfering with everyday activities. Coupled with progressive vision loss, it can cause a loss of confidence in many people.
The Need for Timely Treatment
For Georgia, treating her cataracts and glaucoma and retaining her vision was essential for her eye health, and quality of life.
Georgia’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Saul Ullman of Ullman Eye Consultants in Pensacola, Florida, recommended she be treated with an iStent® in conjunction with her cataract surgery. The iStent® is one of the smallest medical devices known to be implanted in the human body and can effectively restore normal pressure in the eye.
Knowing the importance of timely treatment, Georgia didn’t hesitate to receive the implant and had her first eye successfully treated with an iStent® in February 2020 in conjunction with cataract surgery. Since cataract surgery requires at least two weeks between each eye procedure, Georgia had her second eye treated with an iStent® in conjunction with cataract surgery in July 2020. In Georgia’s case, this treatment eliminated the need for medication to treat her glaucoma, allowing her instead to spend her free time focusing on the things she loves.
With two iStents® in place and her glaucoma under control, Georgia is thrilled to spend her days driving around, spending time with her family, socializing with her inner circle, and remaining active with her church.
PM-US-0364 Rev 1
