Oppose LCDs and open up access to all MIGS options for glaucoma patients

Glaucoma is a horrible disease that can take your vision quickly. Eye drops don’t always works for everyone and we need other options. Please give our doctors the freedom to make the best choice for us.

The best care happens when doctors have the freedom to meet the unmet needs of patients with as many tools at their disposal as possible. I still believe doctors do the right thing.

I perform these surgeries. They work. Medicare restricting access to them is a joke

Advancements in Glaucoma treatment should be embraced and not hindered.

As a glaucoma patient, I would like to be have access to MIGS. More invasive surgery comes with longer recovery and greater risk of complications.

I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of MIGS procedures, not only improving the quality of life but preserving vision for years that didn’t require invasive surgery with months of postoperative visits. Let surgeons be the Doctors that decide the best treatments for patients!

Please help these folks!

Definitely these options should be covered by Medicare-- maintaining eyesight is important on so many levels of health well-being, especially for older folks!

I support this petition

The limiting of MIGS is not in patient’s best interests. It limits options in a disease where people are still going blind every day. We need MORE options, more support, and better understanding of the disease at all levels of insurance and government.

My son is a glaucoma suspect and I wnt him to be able to access all possible treatments. Also, vision needs to be protected for all adults.

We are tied directly to this important disease and oppose LCDs!

Please put patient needs before politics.

These surgeries save sight, which save lives.

I support this petition

Please continue the access to these sight saving procedures

As a glaucoma patient, and undergoing treatments, the need for MIGS is absolutely necessary for all glaucoma patients and suspects. For milder cases, it can extend the time period until the need for more drastic surgeries. This is especially important to younger people to extend that time period. At Mass Eye and Ear, I see fellow patients of ALL ages in the waiting room, from late 20’s to the elderly. I was a suspect in my early 30’s so it’s not a “old person’s condition.” It can also reduce the number of eye drop medications, or even eliminate them, for the course of their lives. As someone who needed to go on 5 medications for 10 drops a day, I also know how EXPENSIVE this can be - $8000 in medication in 7 months. Also, the side effects of medications can be anything from minimal to extreme, possibly even making a person non-functional. Some of these include headaches, body aches, droopy eyelids, blurred vision, itchy skin, crawling sensation on the skin, scaling of skin around the eyes and bleeding. The side effects of some of the medications (especially if they are compounded) can include extreme depression or extreme anxiety. A lot of eye drops have preservatives that caused a lot of dry eye issues and even allergic reactions. More invasive surgeries, such as trabeculectomy, can take a person out of their job for as much at 3 months for each eye. They can also put them at a higher physical risk post-surgery with limitations such as longer recovery to clear vision and risk of stitches tearing with even basic physical exertion. I’m painting a horror show here, and clearly this is not the case with all patients, but the point is that as many medical options SHOULD be available to ALL patients to make sure that any condition or reaction can be treated or avoided so they can have the best possible vision long term and the highest possible quality of life. It also ensures that development in new types of glaucoma treatments will happen. MIGS should absolutely

It is critical that Medicare cover this surgery that is sometimes the only option left for many glaucoma patients

Glaucoma patients need access to more treatment options to preserve eyesight

Please cancel proposed LCDs