DETROIT — The new Henry Ford Center for Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery has opened at Henry Ford Medical Center – Cottage in Grosse Pointe Farms.
The center is the first in Michigan to focus on glaucoma surgery, offering minimally invasive surgical procedures, as well as traditional procedures.
“Minimally invasive therapy is the future of glaucoma surgery,” says Nauman Imami, M.D., director, Glaucoma Service, at Henry Ford. “It is safer for patients than traditional surgery, with lower risk of complications, and a quicker recovery.”
Glaucoma is a disease in which intraocular pressure, caused by fluid build-up in the eye, damages the optic nerve and impairs vision. It is a leading cause of blindness, and the most common cause of irreversible blindness among African Americans. Every year, almost 80,000 Americans lose their sight due to glaucoma, and one million more are at risk of losing their vision because they are unaware that they have the disease.
It is estimated that more than two million Americans have glaucoma, and since glaucoma occurs more frequently in people over 40, this number is expected to rise with an aging population. There also is a hereditary tendency for the development of the disease in some families. Individuals who are nearsighted or who have diabetes may be at greater risk of developing glaucoma.
Dr. Imami is operating in the new center, and will be joined at a later date by David Crandall, M.D.
The center plans to offer emerging technologies as they become available.
Henry Ford is one of three sites in the U.S. researching an innovative variation of Ex-Press shunt placement. The device allows for better fluid drainage in an eye which has been damaged by glaucoma.
“We are also very excited about the potential of the iStent (the world’s smallest implantable stent) for similar purposes,” says Dr. Imami. “However, that device is still undergoing clinical trials.”
The center will enhance the educational experience of Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology residents and glaucoma fellows as well, he added.
Henry Ford Medical Center – Cottage is located at 159 Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Farms.
For more information, or to make an appointment, please call 1 (800) 363-7575.
