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Aim and background: To compare the safety and efficacy of subconjunctival gel stent implantation in the superonasal (SN) vs inferonasal (IN) quadrants in the treatment of glaucoma. Materials and methods: Patients with a history of IN (n = 29) or SN, (n = 96) gel stent placement with ≥3 months of follow-up were included. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and the number of glaucoma medications were collected preoperatively and postoperatively at months 1, 3, 6, and 12. Safety measures included the number of bleb needlings, complication rate, and additional surgeries. Results: Mean baseline IOP was 32.4 ± 11.7 mm Hg in the IN group and 21.6 ± 9.2 mm Hg in the SN group (p < 0.01). IOP was similar between groups at 3 months (IN = 15.8, SN = 15.6, p = 0.45), 6 months (IN = 17.4, SN = 15, p = 0.13), and 12 months (IN = 17.9, SN = 14.7, p = 0.15) follow-up. The number of glaucoma medications was also similar at 3 months (p = 0.31), 6 months (p = 0.24), and 12 months (p = 0.39) follow-up. Bleb needling rates were similar with 51.7% (15/29) in the IN group vs 42.7% (41/96) in the SN group (p = 0.39) and subjects requiring further surgery were 17.2% (5/29) in the IN group vs 24.0% (23/96) in the SN group (p = 0.45). Conclusion: Both IN and SN subconjunctival gel stent placements provide favorable safety and efficacy when treating open-angle glaucoma, with a meaningful decrease in medication use and IOP. Clinical significance: Implantation of the subconjunctival gel stent in the IN quadrant is an effective and safe alternative to superior implantation in refractory glaucoma. How to cite this article: Vander Zee BL, Wilson C, Berdahl JP, et al. Superonasal vs Inferonasal Subconjunctival Gel Stent Placement in Patients with Glaucoma. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2024;18(2):63-67.
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Background: Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is a safe and effective procedure for slowing keratectasia progression in eyes with a corneal thickness of at least 400 µm. Limited research has evaluated the safety and efficacy of epi-off CXL in corneas thinner than 400 µm. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of CXL to slow keratectasia progression in eyes with <400 µm preoperative corneal thickness. Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: This retrospective chart review included 37 eyes who underwent epi-off, iso-osmolar riboflavin corneal CXL with a preoperative thinnest point of the cornea <400 µm and had at least 6-12 months of follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative uncorrected visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), thinnest point of the cornea, flat keratometry, steep keratometry, maximum keratometry (Kmax), need for penetrating keratoplasty, and cases of endothelial failure were recorded. Data were collected at baseline and months 3, 6, 9, and 12 post-CXL. Results: Following cross-linking, 18 eyes (47%) had improved BCVA, 13 (35%) had an unchanged BCVA, and 6 eyes (16%) had a worse BCVA (p = 0.05). The mean postoperative BCVA was 20/81 (0.61 LogMAR) compared to 20/121 (0.78 LogMAR) preoperatively (p = 0.06). Kmax decreased an average of 1.1 D at 3-month (p = 0.53) and 3.4 D at the furthest follow-up (p = 0.10). At the farthest follow-up, 22.7% of eyes had >1 D of Kmax steepening. No patients required keratoplasty and there were no cases of endothelial failure in the follow-up period. Conclusion: This research supports the safety and efficacy of epi-off, iso-osmolar CXL in eyes with <400 µm baseline corneal thickness with no patients requiring penetrating or endothelial keratoplasty, a trend toward improvement in BCVA, and Kmax flattening. In the future, prospective studies would be helpful to confirm these findings.