Glaucoma treatment trends

High incidence of glaucoma worldwide has propelled the manufacturers to focus on the development and commercialization of minimal invasive devices for the treatment of glaucoma. For instance, development of micro-invasive surgical devices such as iStent, and gel micro stent (XEN) has catered to the high growth of minimal invasive glaucoma surgery devices. Increasing government initiatives to increase awareness about prevention of blindness contributes to the glaucoma surgery devices market growth in Asia-Pacific.

Glaucoma is caused by the damage to the optic nerve, and if not treated accurately can eventually lead to loss of vision. It is commonly prevalent in the geriatric population, and the most commonly occurring type of glaucoma is the open-angle glaucoma. In addition to the conventional approaches such as laser surgeries, development of novel drainage devices and stents has propelled the market growth.

Increase in incidence of glaucoma and growth in geriatric population drives the market growth. In addition, the rise in focus of manufacturers on developing micro-invasive glaucoma drainage implants supplements the market growth. However, dearth of skilled professionals and risk of post-operative complications associated with glaucoma surgeries hamper this growth. Moreover, surge in investment by manufacturers in the emerging economies, and rise in initiatives to reduce the burden of glaucoma globally offer profitable opportunities for market expansion.

The glaucoma drainage devices segment is expected to witness a growth rate of 29.6% from 2017 to 2023, and is anticipated to grow significantly owing to rapid development of advanced drainage devices. The high growth is attributed to increase in preference of drainage devices such as Ahmed valves or aqueous shunts over conventional glaucoma surgeries. The conventional glaucoma surgeries accounted for three-fifths share in 2016, and is set to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. The conventional glaucoma surgeries are associated with fewer complications, making them the first choice of the surgeons for the treatment of certain types of glaucoma.

Among end user, eye hospitals generated the highest revenue in 2016, accounting for four-ninths of the total market share and is set to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. Moreover, outpatient surgical centers segment is expected to witness a high growth rate of 29.5%, attributable to the increase in number of glaucoma laser surgeries being carried out in outpatient surgical facilities and large-scale utilization of glaucoma drainage devices such as tube shunts in these facilities.