Baerdveldt implant

[Royrace]

hi, I have a question for anyone that has had a Baerdveldt implant….

How long was it before you had the supramid (suture/wire) removed?

I was originally told that it would be removed about 3-6 months after having the implant. I am now 12 months later and on a waiting list to have cataract surgery along with the removal of the supramid but I am now being told that this may be another 12 months because of the long waiting lists in the NHS etc.

Is it ok for the supramid to be left in for this long? I was told originally that it should be removed within a year but they are now saying that it can be left in twice as long and even possibly permanently? I am concerned that they are telling me this just because of the long waiting list for the cataract surgery which they want to do at the same time?

So my question this how long was it before your sopramid was removed or has someone never had it removed?

Thanks in advance

[Longwalks3]

I had mine removed after about 6 months. What are your pressures like? If they are low enough your consultant may not be in too much of a hurry. However, I do understand your concern. Lack of proper communication is a huge problem in glaucoma care and really affects the level of trust we have in our care providers.

[Royrace in reply to Longwalks3]

Thanks! My pressures were good and Being controlled well after surgery, it was 16 when I was last seen in May without any pressure lowering meds .

[Rainyday2024]

Hello, I had a Paul Tube implant almost six months ago. I don’t know exactly how our two types differ, but I had the suture removed almost 17 weeks after my tube was fitted. The consultant thought the pressure in the eye was still higher than he would have liked. He had also removed a stitch a few weeks prior to this. I am currently on two lots of drops (in both operated and unoperated eye).

[Goatiegoat]

I had a Baerveldt tube implanted in January 2023 and the supramid stitch removed in May of that year. However a few months ago the pressure in that eye was becoming very low between 4 and 6 so my consultant put me on dexafree eye drops. As I’m a steroid responder that has brought up the pressure to about 10/12. I need a tube in my other eye too but since I had a full thickness corneal graft in that eye a year ago, that has been delayed for the moment and I’m taking Lumigan and Tiopex. Even so the pressure is sometimes 20+