This past week, I went into my internship site on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, I watched multiple cataract surgeries and eye stents. A cataract surgery is the removal of the natural lens of the eye due to cloudiness. The cloudiness in the cataract can lead to permanent blindness if not treated. As a result, the cataract surgeries that Dr. McKee performed saved the livelihoods of the patients. In addition, an eye stent surgery is another type of surgery that occurs during select cataract surgeries in which the patient also has a glaucoma. A glaucoma occurs when pressure or other risk factors push the optic nerve deeper into the eye, possibly leading to blindness. Watching these surgeries on Tuesday, opened my EYES to the simplicity, yet importance of these eye surgeries.
 |
| Cataracts would stop people from seeing this beauty |
 |
| SLT |
During my lunch breaks, I had the opportunity to sit with Dr. McKee, my research mentor, and plan out my research project in more detail. As a part of this, writing an abstract was of paramount importance. In any research related field, abstracts serve as concise summaries of why a project was chosen, what the project will attempt to solve, how the project will attempt to solve that problem, and the results of the project itself. Below, you will find the abstract to my research project. Enjoy reading it!
Project Title: Seeing Eye to i: Using the iStent to Combat Glaucoma
First and Last Name: Brent Armistead
BASIS Adviser: Mr. Ryan Carey
External Adviser, Title: Dr. Yuri McKee, M.D.
Senior Project Location: Swagel-Wooton-Hiatt Eye Center
Abstract: Glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in the world, affects nearly 4% of the human population today. The condition results from an abnormal build-up of intraocular pressure (IOP) on the optic nerve. A potential solution to this problem is the iStent, a small stent that is designed to relieve pressure in the eye. Another procedure being analyzed and compared to the iStent is the Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT), a laser surgery that decreases IOP in the short term. The stent was implanted in about 70 eyes, and the IOP of each eye is monitored and noted with each patient visit. Some eyes had both surgeries performed on them, and they are analyzed as well. The Before IOP and 6-Month IOP are then compared for each eye. After analysis of the data, the iStent-alone group performed the best, with an average decrease of 4 units, a healthy pressure being 10 units. These results show the effectiveness of the iStent in decreasing IOP, thus the iStent is a dependable solution to Glaucoma in a 6-month period.
That's so exciting that you were able to watch these surgeries, Brent! Just reading about your experiences is so exciting for me, so I'm sure actually being there is even awesomer (it's a word, I promise...just don't look it up). Speaking of your experiences, I'm going to pretend I know things about eyes. Are you ready for this? Ok, so when you talked about YAGs and SLTs, if a patient gets the iStent implant, then would they not need to have the SLT? I imagine the SLT is somewhat annoying to go through considering it's a laser. Or it might not be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. You know, I didn't actually indicate that I knew anything about eyes with that question...so I didn't really pretend very well, did I? Oh, well. Anyways, eagerly awaiting the next post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! You are right about the iStent-SLT issue! Ideally, the iStent would allow a patient to not need any other treatments for their increased pressure. Sadly, this will not always be the case, so we are analyzing if people needed other surgeries following the iStent as well.
DeleteWell, unlike Shreya, I'm not going to pretend I know anything about eyes. In a cataract surgery, do they add another, artificial lens to replace the natural lens? It's my understanding that the entire lens is removed - what's the effect on the patient? I guess I just do not know anything.This is fascinating, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading (and thanks for the honesty *cough cough SHREYA*)! Yes, they add another lens following cataract surgery. Without one, their eyes would just be empty balls that take in unfocused light. Luckily, the modern lenses are very powerful and can help people see the same (if not better) than a healthy, natural lens.
DeleteHi Brent!
ReplyDeleteLoved the failed dunking gif - I laughed really hard.
Ok, on to more important stuff. So during cataract surgeries do they replace the natural lens with a synthetic lens? How long do these synthetic lenses last? Do patients with cataracts typically have glaucoma as well? Looking forward to next week and seeing where your data analysis takes you!
Thanks for reading! Yes, the lenses are replaced with a synthetic lens, and the lenses last their entire life. The only issue they would have is just some cloudiness, which the YAG counteracts. Also, Glaucoma and cataracts are not linked, though the removal of a cataract does release some fluid, thus helping with Glaucoma. Other than that, there is no correlation.
DeleteHey Brent! Your post was also really interesting to read especially with the gifs! Its really cool how you got to observe cataract laser surgeries! With regards to your research, is iStent a short term solution to reducing IOP as well? Has there been any progress on a long term solution?? Again your post was very interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next with your research!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! With recent data analysis, the iStent actually turns out to be a short and long term solution as well! I will go into it deeper in the next post, but our two-year data points are very encouraging and show a significant drop in the pressure (so it stays low over long periods of time).
DeleteHi Brent!
ReplyDeleteSo far it is interesting to see your schedule and what you do at the research laboratory. Is there a machine that can help prevent the illness? Also, will this machine(once it's done being researched) will be an easily accessible product or a product that can only be accessed in a hospital?
Thanks for reading! Sadly, there is no machine that can prevent Glaucoma. That's where the iStent and SLT and all the other treatments for Glaucoma come in though; doctors can treat it in a variety of ways. These must be administered in an eye center or surgery center.
DeleteHello! Wow Brent your project idea is extremely interesting, especially that you have the chance to watch procedures for eye surgeries. To learn more about the causes of blindness and the effects of the differences in pressure in the eye, i was wondering if blindness is the only negative effect of a large amount pressure in the eye? What causes there to be a large amount of pressure in the eye? Good luck and please keep us updated about your progress and the results of the IStent! thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Blindness is the biggest issue regarding the eye, since most diseases lead to it, and it happens to be the biggest fear of most older people (a bigger fear than death itself). So it may be the only negative effect, but it is a biggie. The large pressure comes from fluids in the eye not being properly regulated by the eye. Either the eye struggles to release excess pressure, or the eye is producing too much fluid. The iStent helps the eye release excess pressure.
DeleteHi Brent. Your internship site sounds very interesting. It must be really cool to watch cataract surgeries and eye stents in person. I found your abstract especially interesting, comparing the iStent to the SLT. Good luck working with the iStent this coming week. Your research will really help people with blindness in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I am glad you are enjoying it as much as I am!
DeleteHey Brent! It has been interesting to see how in every part of your schedule, you are constantly learning more and more information. The part about you observations on laser surgery in particular interested me. On average, how long did these laser surgeries take, and what were the after effects on the patients? I'm looking forward to seeing how your analysis on the data points you collected turns out and good luck for the near future! Also your abstract is quite helpful on clearing up some questions I had on Glaucoma and its related treatment procedures, so nice job on that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I will be cleaning up the abstract a bit, so there will be some changes to it. The laser surgeries are surprisingly fast, and only take about a minute for the surgeon to finish. Almost all patients leave asking "is that it?" It's pretty funny.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Brent!! Your research in fact is very interesting. A possible device that could help solve Glaucoma is very neat and interesting. I cant wait for next weeks post!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
DeleteHi Brent! It's very exciting that you get to watch these surgeries. I was hoping that you could go a little more into detail about iSent and how it is used. I am very interested to learn more. Good luck with your research!
ReplyDeletebest,
Tara Rastkhiz
Thanks for reading! The iStent is a microscopic, metal stent that is placed in the Trabecular Meshwork of the eye. It is used to relieve pressure in the eye by giving the fluid a pathway to exit the eye.
DeleteHola Brent (just trying to be slightly different from the other greetings)! Your research so far is very interesting and i can't wait for more! I'm a little daft and i'm confused about who can get the surgeries? Could potentially anyone with decaying vision-although not close to blindness-get the surgery or is there a minimum amount??
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
-Esther
Thanks for reading! Good question! Most patients who have Glaucoma are good candidates, but I am not entirely sure about the details on that. I will ask for you.
DeleteHey Brent, it great to see how your research is coming along. I hope your data on eye pressure can help you further your treatment for glaucoma. Best wishes, Vishesh
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
DeleteGreetings Brent! Great job clarifying the causes of glaucoma with us. Out of curiosity, will you have access to microscopic technology for your research? Good luck, I am excited to see what your research yields.
ReplyDeleteHey, Brent.
ReplyDeleteI think your internship sounds really amazing.Getting to see those surgeries up close must be really fascinating. I hope all goes well in your progression :)