[Clinical results of the eyeWatch system: 1-year outcomes].

BACKGROUND

The eyeWatch System (EWS) (Rheon Medical, Lausanne, Switzerland) was developed as a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) to precisely control intraocular pressure (IOP) and thus prevent the development of postoperative hypotension and its complications.

OBJECTIVE

To report 1‑year outcomes from a single-center cohort undergoing EWS surgery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective review of patients undergoing EWS surgery at the University Eye Hospital Bonn, Germany from May 2021 to September 2022.

RESULTS

A total of 5 eyes of the first 5 consecutive patients treated with the EWS were included in this study. The mean preoperative IOP was 34.6 mm Hg (23-45 mm Hg) which was reduced to 12.2 mm Hg (9-18 mm Hg) with a mean reduction of 60%. Local pressure-lowering therapy was reduced from 2.8 agents preoperatively (1-4) to 0.6 agents after 1 year. All patients achieved the target IOP of below 21 mm Hg including 4 patients without any medication. The complication rate was low. One patient had to undergo two surgical revisions as the IOP was elevated to over 30 mm Hg after surgery and tube exposure became apparent during the course of the follow-up so that a second donor patch was sutured on. The same patient had an elevated IOP >30 mm Hg after a cMRI examination, so that a reduction of IOP by adjusting the EWS using the eyeWatch pen (EWP) was performed. IOP adjustments with the eyeWatch pen (EWP) were performed in 4 of 5 patients in the first year after surgery; the mean IOP before adjustment was 21.33 mm Hg (15-37 mm Hg) which was reduced to a mean of 8.58 mm Hg (4-16 mm Hg).

CONCLUSION

The EWS effectively lowers IOP and the amount of necessary pressure-lowering therapy. With the EWP postoperative adjustments of IOP are possible without further invasive measures.