Diagnosis and symptomatic treatment of acute glaucoma

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Marien Hospital Duesseldorf offers the full range of medical services to patients with diseases of the eye and its appendages. It provides outpatient and inpatient treatment. The department offers innovative laser technologies for non-surgical correction of vision defects, and surgical interventions on the eye are also successfully performed here. Of particular interest to the doctors of the medical facility are the surgical treatment of cataracts and glaucoma, corneal transplantation, minimally invasive and seamless operations on the retina and vitreous body, operations for diseases of the eyelids and lacrimal ducts, as well as the treatment of macular degeneration and correction of strabismus. Most surgical interventions are performed on an outpatient basis. The department has two modern operating rooms, as well as a station with 10 beds for inpatients. The quality of surgical interventions meets the requirements of the TÜV ISO 9001:2008 international certificate. The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Babac Mazinani.

Cataract is one of the most common diagnoses in the department's clinical practice. Pathology is a complete or partial clouding of the lens, which causes a significant vision deterioration or its complete loss. In most cases, the lens is deformed and loses its transparency due to the age-related changes. As of today, the only effective treatment method for mature cataracts is a surgical intervention. In some cases, the department's doctors prescribe drugs to slow down the progression of the pathological process, but in the end, the surgical intervention is inevitable. The department's specialists perform cataract surgery using the very latest minimally invasive surgical techniques. The essence of the operation is to remove the clouded lens and to replace it with a special implant. The department uses all modern types of artificial lenses (the so-called intraocular lenses), including toric intraocular lenses, multifocal intraocular lenses, aspherical intraocular lenses, intraocular lenses with filters and others. The most suitable type of intraocular lens is chosen by the attending physician at the stage of preparation for surgery, based on the results of an eye examination.

Many patients come to the department for glaucoma treatment. This ophthalmic disease develops due to elevated intraocular pressure, as a result of which the outflow of aqueous humor worsens and optic nerve atrophy occurs. All these pathological changes provoke blindness. The insidiousness of glaucoma is that in the early stages of the disease the patient has no complaints. The department's ophthalmologists perform both conservative and surgical treatment of glaucoma. Drug therapy is effective only in the early stages – during this period, doctors prescribe drugs to normalize intraocular pressure, metabolism and aqueous humor outflow. Surgery is usually considered in the absence of positive dynamics at the end of the course of drug therapy or in the advanced stages of glaucoma. Penetrating, non-penetrating and microsurgical interventions are performed in the operating rooms of the medical facility using innovative stents: Titan-i-stent, Hydrus Microstent, XEN and Preseflo. Surgical treatment using modern technologies provides a minimal risk of side effects and a rapid restoration of vision after surgery. With appropriate indications, the department also performs laser treatment of glaucoma.

The department's medical team is rightfully proud of its successful experience in the treatment of corneal diseases. The pathologies of this spectrum are quite often treated with the help of partial or total replacement of the cornea with a donor one. In case of partial damage to the cornea, the department's specialists resort to lamellar keratoplasty, which consists in replacing only the damaged corneal layers. Penetrating keratoplasty is performed when it is necessary to totally replace the cornea with a donor one. A special area of ​​competence of the department's ophthalmologists is the transplantation of the inner layer of the cornea (endothelium) using the DMEK procedure. The DMEK technique can significantly reduce the postoperative recovery period, and also provides high visual acuity.

The department admits young patients with eye diseases. Particular attention is paid to the early detection and correction of strabismus in children. In addition, the doctors effectively treat myopia and amblyopia in children. The treatment regimen is developed for each young patient on an individual basis and discussed with the parents.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the anterior segment of the eye
  • Cataract treatment
    • Modern microsurgical techniques
    • Implantation of special intraocular lenses (toric, multifocal, aspherical, lenses with a filter)
  • Glaucoma treatment 
    • Laser surgical procedures
    • Non-penetrating and microinvasive procedures (implantation of Titan-i-stent, Hydrus Microstent, XEN and Preseflo stents, canaloplasty, viscocanalostomy)
  • Surgical repair of eyelid deformities
    • Correction of pronounced and overhanging upper eyelids
    • Treatment of ectropion
    • Treatment of sty
    • Removal of tumors
    • Cosmetic restorative procedures
    • Botulinum toxin injections
  • Treatment of lacrimal duct diseases
  • Treatment of corneal diseases
    • Total corneal transplantation (penetrating keratoplasty)
    • Transplantation of separate corneal layers (lamellar keratoplasty)
    • Transplantation of the inner layer of the cornea (endothelium) using the DMEK technique
• Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the posterior segment of the eye
  • Treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous body, including inflammatory diseases
  • Treatment of diabetic retinopathy
  • Treatment of retinal vein occlusion
  • Treatment of macular diseases (macular degeneration, macular hole, damage to the retinal membrane in the fovea)
    • Treatment methods: laser procedures, intravitreal injections for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, all modern methods of intraocular surgery, minimally invasive sutureless interventions on the retina and vitreous body
• Diagnostics and treatment of neuro-ophthalmic diseases
  • Treatment of optic neuritis
  • Treatment of oculomotor nerve palsy
• Diagnostics and treatment of ophthalmic diseases in children
  • Treatment of strabismus
  • Treatment of amblyopia
  • Treatment of myopia
• Other medical services