Insertion of ab externo aqueous shunts approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be considered medically necessary as a method to reduce intraocular pressure in individuals with glaucoma where medical therapy has failed to adequately control intraocular pressure.
Use of an ab externo aqueous shunt for all other conditions, including in individuals with glaucoma when intraocular pressure is adequately controlled by medications, is considered investigational.
Insertion of ab interno aqueous stents approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a method to reduce intraocular pressure in individuals with glaucoma where medical therapy has failed to adequately control intraocular pressure is considered medically necessary.
Implantation of 1 or 2 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved ab interno stents in conjunction with cataract surgery may be considered medically necessary in individuals with mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma treated with ocular hypotensive medication.
Use of ab interno stents for all other conditions is considered investigational.
