Longitudinal outcomes of iStent inject with cataract surgery compared to cataract surgery alone: real-world data from the Fight Glaucoma Blindness registry

Purpose: To compare combined phacoemulsification and iStent inject to phacoemulsification alone.

Setting: Fight Glaucoma Blindness (FGB) registry – Australia.

Design: Prospective observational registry study.

Methods: Eyes that had combined phacoemulsification with iStent inject (iStent group) were compared to eyes that had phacoemulsification only (cataract alone). Primary outcome was percentage of eyes achieving >20% IOP reduction from baseline 12 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes included mean IOP and medication reduction, adverse events and secondary procedures.

Results: At 12 months the percentage of eyes achieving >20% reduction of IOP at 12 months was significantly higher in the iStent group compared to the cataract alone group (40.9% vs 30.1% p<0.001). Adverse events occurred at a low rate in both groups, and secondary IOP lowering procedures were significantly less frequent in the iStent group compared to cataract alone. Conclusions: Real-world outcomes from the FGB registry at 12 months show phacoemulsification combined with iStent inject has higher efficacy and a reduced need for secondary IOP lowering surgery compared to phacoemulsification alone.