As a retired nurse, Teresa has had a great deal of experience in the operating room. Always helping others, she was surprised when the tables turned, and she was diagnosed with glaucoma. Having worked in the industry, Teresa knew she needed to take her diagnosis seriously. She didn’t want to disrupt her daily routine or risk losing her vision.
An Unexpected Diagnosis
For the past 40 years, Teresa has worked in hospitals and outpatient centers where she assisted in many surgical cases, including glaucoma surgeries. After recently retiring, Teresa has enjoyed spending time with her family, reading, and sewing. Earlier this year Teresa noticed that sewing was becoming harder for her, as she struggled to see the thread. Then, after seeing an eye floater in her vision, she decided it was time to make an appointment with her ophthalmologist, Dr. Reena Patel of Wichita Vision Institute. Dr. Patel and Teresa were colleagues nearly 20 years ago and they have been dear friends ever since.
During her appointment with Dr. Patel in early 2022, Teresa was surprised to learn she was living with glaucoma. She knew her cataracts may have been contributing to her vision issues, but she had no idea she also had an underlying condition. If it hadn’t been for her eye floater, which was unrelated to her glaucoma, Teresa may not have made an appointment with Dr. Patel and learned about her glaucoma when she did. As a medical professional, Teresa understood the importance of timely treatment, and she knew that she could gradually lose her vision if she didn’t act quickly. At the time, she also worried about what her diagnosis could mean for her mother, who had medical challenges of her own and relied on Teresa for her care. In search of a solution, Teresa turned to Dr. Patel for answers.
A Familiar Solution
Luckily for Teresa, Dr. Patel had a game plan for her treatment – she recommended the iStent inject® W, one of the world’s smallest implantable devices. The iStent inject® W is inserted into the eye during cataract surgery to help drain fluid associated with elevated intraocular pressure. It can have remarkable benefits for glaucoma patients with cataracts. Teresa was no stranger to iStent inject® W – she had worked as a nurse during many iStent inject® W and cataract surgeries. In addition to her familiarity with the procedure, Teresa also felt comfortable with Dr. Patel’s treatment recommendation because of the immense amount of trust she had in her eye doctor and friend. Eager to treat her glaucoma quickly, the procedures were scheduled. Teresa’s right eye was then implanted with iStent inject® W during cataract surgery in March of 2022, and in May of the same year, her left eye was treated. For some, iStent inject® W can reduce or eliminate the need for daily eye drops, under the discretion of a physician. Even though Teresa was not applying any eye drops for her glaucoma before the procedure, she found it immensely beneficial that she was able to treat her glaucoma and cataracts at the same time.
Finding Clarity for What’s Important
Following the procedures, Teresa began to regain confidence in her vision. She is back to her normal routine and is no longer worried about glaucoma impacting her life. Now that she is no longer working, Teresa is looking forward to a lot of traveling (she and her husband hope to visit Alaska!), reading, and sewing. She also hopes to squeeze in some quality time with her friend Dr. Patel, outside of the office!
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