ClearPath Eye Implant to Aid Glaucoma Patients at CHA HPMC

Posted by Su Lee

CHA HPMC’s state-of-the-art eye clinic Southern California Eye Institute (SCEI) is the first eye institute in Los Angeles to perform a ClearPath implant surgery, on a 78-year old glaucoma patient. The use of the ClearPath implant is an example of how SCEI is introducing innovative eye care treatments to improve community eye health. We sat with Rohit Varma, MD, MPH and founding director at SCEI to understand more about this new implant and its benefits.

What is a ClearPath implant?
The ClearPath Implant (New World Medical, Rancho Cucamonga) is specifically designed for complex and advanced glaucoma patients. The procedure, called tube-shunt surgery, lowers the pressure inside the eye by placing a flexible tube with an attached silicone plate in the eye to help fluid drain.

How does ClearPath implant help surgeons treat glaucoma patients?
The new implant is the latest valveless drainage device designed to help surgeons preserve sight in patients whose glaucoma is not controlled by medications or may have had previous surgeries (refractory glaucoma).

How does this innovation benefit glaucoma patients?
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the world, and tube-shunt surgery can preserve vision for patients with glaucoma by lowering pressure in the eye.

At SCEI, we perform state-of-the-art procedures that are at the forefront of eye care. The use of the ClearPath implant is one more example of how our physicians are breaking new ground to provide the most innovative eye care to our patients in L.A.