Innovative Glaucoma Treatment

Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers is the first ophthalmic practice to bring the Ex-PRESS™ mini glaucoma shunt to the Louisville area. The Ex-PRESS™ procedure is an “innovative, minimally invasive approach for the surgical treatment of glaucoma where medical and conventional surgical treatments have failed."

Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease in which normal fluid pressure increases within the eye. This leads to damage of the optic nerve, the structure that transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. The damage then causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision (side vision). The fluid pressure increases when a blockage of the normal drainage system occurs. The Ex-PRESS™ procedure, which is now available by doctors at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers, involves the implantation of a miniature devise that reduces pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure) by diverting the excess fluid away from the affected area.

CIBA Vision, the manufacturer of the Ex-PRESS™ glaucoma mini shunt, has received FDA approval for the device. Both Dr. Donald Bennett and Dr. Steven Mattas attended the first course for the procedure in October 2002 in Orlando, Florida, and are in the first group of successfully certified physicians.