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Minn. Eye Doctor Touts New Procedure For Glaucoma

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Jul 5, 2008 10:19 am US/Central

Minn. Eye Doctor Touts New Procedure For Glaucoma

ST. PAUL (AP) ― A Minnesota eye specialist is offering another option for glaucoma patients.

Those with glaucoma have always either had to use daily eye drops to prevent blindness or have an invasive surgery that has risks of complications.

But Dr. Thomas Samuelson of Minnesota Eye Consultants believes a new procedure that's a little less invasive might be the best option.

It's called a canaloplasty, and it improves drainage in a canal around the iris. It also reduces pressure on the optic nerve.

Samuelson says he thinks the procedure will lead more patients to pick surgery over years of prescription drugs to manage the disease.

But it won't be easy for it to catch on, because pharmaceutical companies have heavily marketed drugs for managing the disease, and not all health insurers believe canaloplasties are medically necessary.

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