CMC introduces EyePlate surgery for advanced glaucoma patients

Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) says it has introduced EyePlate 300-S implant surgery for patients with advanced glaucoma. The hospital said 11 patients underwent the procedure and all had lower intraocular pressure after their operations. CMC said it is the first hospital in the Caribbean to perform the treatment.

CMC said ophthalmologist Dr. Michael Siban performed the operations with Dr. Gyan Soerjoesing, a specialist who travelled from the Netherlands to help introduce the technique. The implant is designed to drain fluid from the eye and lower pressure, and CMC said it may be used when medication or previous treatment has not adequately controlled eye pressure.

CMC said the surgery is intended to preserve remaining sight by reducing the risk of further optic nerve damage. It does not restore vision already lost to glaucoma. The hospital said Dr. Siban has received additional glaucoma-surgery training and is expected to perform the procedure independently in Curaçao in the future.

CMC encouraged people aged 35 and older with a family history of glaucoma to have regular examinations by an ophthalmologist. The hospital said glaucoma in Curaçao is often diagnosed at an advanced stage.