Supporting the International Glaucoma Surgery Registry
At Express Medicals, we know the power of data in improving healthcare outcomes and we’re proud donors to the International Glaucoma Surgery Registry (IGSR), an innovative initiative set up by leading glaucoma surgeons to improve patient outcomes across the world.
The IGSR is a global database collecting surgical data on glaucoma procedures. It was founded by Professors Keith Barton (UK) and Nathan Kerr (Australia) and has grown rapidly in recent years.
Today, the registry holds anonymised data from nearly 11,000 glaucoma operations and more than 60,000 postoperative examinations, with contributions from surgeons in over 12 countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, China, Spain, Belgium, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland.
It has also been adopted as the official surgical registry of the European Glaucoma Society, with full ethics committee approval.
Why it matters
In the last decade, there has been a surge in new glaucoma surgical techniques – many marketed as “minimally invasive.” While attractive to patients and surgeons, the effectiveness of these procedures can vary, particularly for more advanced cases.
The IGSR addresses this challenge by collecting large-scale data from across the globe, providing evidence on what procedures work best for different types of patients. This real-world data goes far beyond the scope of traditional clinical trials, offering a broader and more accurate picture of outcomes in everyday practice.
The ultimate vision? To use this evidence to guide surgeons towards the most appropriate procedures for individual patients – and eventually support the development of AI-driven decision-making tools that will help standardise best practice worldwide.
How The Glaucoma Surgery Registry works
Global collaboration: Surgeons submit anonymised data at the time of surgery and throughout follow-up.
Personalised insight: Each surgeon receives their own outcomes data benchmarked against international peers.
Free to use: Surgeons aren’t charged to contribute or access their data.
Funded by education grants and donations: Industry receives anonymised group-level outcomes to improve device development, but without direct competitor comparisons.
Why we’re involved
Just as occupational health relies on accurate evidence to prevent risks and protect employees, the IGSR relies on high-quality, large-scale data to transform glaucoma care.
By supporting this registry, we’re helping to build a global evidence base that will shape the future of glaucoma surgery – giving surgeons better insights, patients better outcomes, and the medical community a stronger foundation for innovation.
We’re proud to contribute to this ground-breaking work, alongside many other supporters, and to help ensure the IGSR continues to grow and deliver its vital mission.
