Market Scenario 

Glaucoma surgical devices market was valued at US$ 742 million in 2024 and is projected to surpass the valuation of US$ 1,546 million by 2033 at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period 2025–2033. 

In 2024, it was estimated that 76 to 80 million people suffered from glaucoma, which translates roughly to 3-4% of the world population currently aged 40-80. The same number is forecasted to increase to 111.8 million globally by 2040 owing to better detection methods as well as an aging population. Glaucoma also has a variation in its geographical spread, northern Africa and Hispanic populations have the highest proportion of being affected by primary open-angle glaucoma which accounts for African and Hispanic populations around 3% to 5%. The Global North is estimated to have a lower range of around 2 to 3 %. When it comes to Europe and North America, it is slightly lower. Glaucoma being asymptomatic in the early stages also adds to the challenge of under diagnosis which then further results in delayed treatments down the line making it harder to deal with the progression of the glaucoma disease. 

Roughly 1.5 to 2 million glaucoma related surgeries take place every year in the glaucoma surgical devices market with a 5 to 7% growth rate. Again, the developed countries stand out with a figure of 200 to 300 procedures taking place per million individuals. However, as more people gain access to healthcare the numbers in developing countries are on the rise. Surgical interventions conducted include trabeculectomy, which accounts for 50-60% of the surgeries performed including MIGS which is at 20-30%, and implant drainage when needing to implant 10-15% of the patients. Alongside this, SLT is also effective and used on patients ranging from 500,000-700,000 every year. Safety and efficacy are among two major demand qualities for medication and with the increase of MIGS in use the worldwide management of glaucoma is revolutionizing.

The growing elderly population, rapid technical advancement, and the deficiencies of long-term medical care are the critical factors that drives the sales of glaucoma surgical devices. The glaucoma surgical devices market is encompassing tools for micro invasive surgical procedures like the iStent, Hydrus Microstent, XEN Gel Stent, and Ahmed Glaucoma Valve with Baerveldt Implant drainage devices. Laser devices such as SLT laser systems as well as micropulse lasers enjoys great demand as well. The trend towards earlier surgical treatment, wider safety margins, and increased use of cataract surgery combined with glaucoma procedures have also increased the demand. The increasing rate of device adoption is also attributed to enhanced training programs and healthcare services availability in the developing nations, thus helping millions of patients across the globe. 

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Market Dynamics 

Driver: Growing geriatric population worldwide increasingly amplifying the utilization of modern advanced glaucoma surgical devices

The primary driver influencing the glaucoma surgical devices market is the changing demographics coupled with the ratio of people aged above 60 in the world which seems to grow significantly. As per the estimates, the number of elderly population above 60 years are projected to reach 1.4, which creates a massive reservoir of higher risk glaucoma patients. In the United States alone, the diagnosis of glaucoma seems to be on the rise for those aged above 65, which hint at a great number of patients that need surgery. Many elderly patients also have other health related issues, which further add to the complexity of the treatment regimen while at the same time increasing the need for effective surgical options.

The World Health Organization states that there are an ever increasing population of older people which gives rise to over 80 million people across the globe suffering from glaucoma as of 2023. This includes almost 3 million people in the United States that further displays the burden that comes with the aging population in the US. As medications can wear off over a time frame, devices like the insertion of implants, drainage tubes and micro-stents are generally relied upon by the surgeons to try and obtain stable control over intraocular pressure (IOP). These processes are extremely important in scenarios where an IOP as low as possible is required in order to be able to see effectively.

Not only do demographic shifts continue to add strain to healthcare systems, but now they have no choice but to pioneer novel minimally invasive surgical options to address the strengthening call. Also, clinical studies in the glaucoma surgical devices market have shown that surgical referrals on glaucoma and other age-related diseases have crossed over 900,000 annually on a worldwide scale. 

Trend: Surge in minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries introducing novel micro-stent designs and advanced implant materials

The trend towards Minimal Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) in the glaucoma surgical devices market is quite a significant one because it is a complete shift in the way we have traditionally approached interventions and procedures aimed at improving patient care. Current evidence indicates that surgical procedures such as MIGS and their corresponded have gained a fair share of augmenting surgical techniques across North America and parts of Europe, with more than 40% of the glaucoma experts using at least one MIGS technique. However, traditional practices such as trabeculectomy are still commonplace, albeit, there has been a rise in the number of doctors that urge the use of MIGS for patients with mild to moderate stages of the disease. The rationale cited is reduced number of post operation complications as well as quick post operation recovery time.

Out of the variety of MIGS devices available in the glaucoma surgical devices market today, micro-shunt devices and micro-stents have become quite a hit as they tend to improve the intraocular pressure progressively without causing a lot of damage to the surrounding tissues. Other estimates indicate that micro-stents have also been estimated to have surpassed the global estimate of more than 200,000 units during the past year alone, which provides how readily available and how quickly the technology has been embraced by ophthalmologists. While normal methods practiced involve surgically doing trabeculectomy. 

MIGS procedures are increasingly being performed in the United States where over 3 million people have open angle glaucoma while being across eyed regarding the proper management of intraocular pressure. One can also observe the growing trend of using MIGS in developing economies such as India and China where surgical centers are performing tens of thousands micro-stents implantations per annum. While surgical efficacy is undeniably improving and more surgeons are becoming confident in using these tools, it is clear that MIGS procedures will become a prominent trend by enhancing the effectiveness of the surgery and lessening the patients anxiety around having invasive surgical treatment for their glaucoma.

Challenge: Limited specialist availability impacting timely glaucoma intervention in both urban and rural healthcare settings.

The challenge facing the glaucoma surgical devices market is the lack of availability of ophthalmologists trained in advanced techniques in surgical procedures. While the global population of patients suffering from glaucoma is more than 80 million, the large number of unskilled and inadequately trained professionals means that many individuals are unable to receive prompt eye care. Patients from many parts of the world, particularly the rural and underserved areas are unable to get timely diagnosis and show up for treatment. This is further complicated by the fact that many patients only discover they have the condition at the later stages where more expensive treatment is needed. Furthermore, this is exacerbated by the increased availability of screening programs due to the delays in asymptomatic patients seeking treatment early on. 

Among the more than 80 million patients in the glaucoma surgical devices market, it is estimated that more than half of them have not been diagnosed due to the scarcity of experts who can conduct proper ophthalmic checks. For example, MIGS has flourished in high-income areas due to the presence of such eye clinics but some other localities have lost hope on implementing such solutions, one simply due to the lack of doctors who could conduct said procedures. This means that advanced surgical devices would remain either unused or negatively affect patient recovery time and efficiency ineffectiveness. Additionally, ever-increasing rates of glaucoma, even in quite developed regions, necessitate a larger pool of medical professionals. Such experts indicate that the oversupply is already present in the volume eye care centers where a considerable number of surgeries are being undertaken on a daily bases by the specialists. 

Segmental Analysis 

By Demographics

Demographically, people aged 65-84 years dominate the glaucoma surgical devices market by holding a whooping over 58% market share as it mostly occurs in the elderly. In this case, women tend to be afflicted more. The evidence from health sources in 2023 shows that the global burden of glaucoma exceeds 80 million people with over 65 years cohort, they stress that they constitute a large part of the total. There was a recent estimation stating that around 3.5 million diagnostic visits were made related to glaucoma that comprise this age group in North America alone which indicates a high burden of the disease among elderly. The researchers have observed that patients over 70 years of age are frequently seen with more advanced stages of the disease, which indicates an underlying vulnerability of ocular tissues with age. 

The susceptibility of the 65-84 years age group in the glaucoma surgical devices market who likely present with age-related degenerative factors like low aqueous humor outflow and structural fibrosis in the trabecular meshwork is exposure to repeated spikes of high intraocular pressures. Such susceptibility becomes complicated by the age-related comorbid conditions. As presented in an international conference of ophthalmology 2023 close to 2 out of 5 elderly glaucoma patients also have diabetes or hypertension.

Progressive nerve damage also increases the chances of more surgical treatment being required which is another critical factor. In recent years – specifically 2022, over two million glaucoma-filtering procedures performed in the world were on elderly patients showcasing how older age is often accompanied with worsening of the disease. An uplift in life expectancy numbers from just shy of 67 in 2000 to around 73 in 2023 only widens even more the scope for development of glaucoma. Therefore, this specific age group continues to be a great target for surgical advancement which includes new drainage implants developed to lower intraocular pressure. 

By Device Type 

Canal surgery devices and stents have come to the forefront as a gamechanger in the glaucoma surgical devices market with more than 85% market share. This is due to the vascular approaches targeting enhancement of fluid outflow and consequently lowering intraocular pressure. Additionally, a report published by Astute Analytica revealed that the global economy performed over 1.5 million canal-based surgeries and stent implantations in 2023, which marked an increase in dependence on this technology. Compared to older filtration techniques, surgeons say the new devices have a better safety profile as they have fewer complications.

One major advantage of the procedure is their minimally invasive insertion process, which focuses on utilizing pre-existing drainage pathways of the eye instead of constructing a new drainage pathway. Current hospital data in the glaucoma surgical devices market indicate that the recovery times for patients using canal devices drop by several days and enable the patients to return to daily functioning sooner. In addition, a compilation of researches done in 2023 shows that 70% of patients who received a stent in the first year had lesser requirement for additional procedures as compared to patients that underwent traditional trabeculectomy. This has a ready attraction for patients and providers alike in what that the number of repeat visits and complications that results from postoperative care are reduced. The last 24 months have also seen three distinct stent models gain regulatory approval in numerous locales. Instances were reported whereby greater than 2 million micro-stents were sold globally during the year 2022, reflective of a pronounced rise in ophthalmic devices revenue. 

By Surgery Type 

Taking the type of surgery into account, the glaucoma surgical devices market is led by minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), which control over 30% market share. This has to do with gentler techniques used during the surgery while still being able to control the intraocular pressure effectively. In 2023, worldwide ophthalmic registries expected more than 1.5 million MIGS interventions, against close to single-handedly five years ago. The key driver is the minimal tissue injury: access to the trabecular meshwork or suprachoroidal space with MIGS is done through micro incisions which reduces the recovery time. A recent international survey of patients found that patients undergoing MIGS were able to resume their normal activities as much as three days sooner than those who had traditional filtration surgery.

A prominent reason for the prominence of MIGS in the glaucoma surgical devices market is its safety profile. A recent analysis of the outcomes of more than 10,000 cases found that fewer than one out of ten patients suffered post-operative complications necessitating supplemental surgeries. Such an enhancement of the risk-benefit ratio is particularly important to aged individuals who have a higher anesthetic risk because of existing co-morbid factors. Moreover, technology improvements including next generation stents and advanced real time intraocular pressure monitoring devices have always widened the boundaries of the MIGS treatment. In a 2023 ophthalmology summit, the experts foresaw an influx of about 300 new glaucoma specialists in practicing MIGS technique with the same confidence.

Another reason why both patients and surgeons seek out MIGS procedures in the glaucoma surgical devices market is the lower cost and higher satisfaction experienced by the patient. Moreover, the trend among hospitals and outpatient units is witnessed for equipping operating rooms with the tools for MIGS so that sizable loads of patients can be treated by the doctors with no increase in the complication rate. This is congruent with the tendency towards value based healthcare and makes MIGS more favorable in that it takes a middle ground of clinical efficacy, wider budget prerequisites, and good patient outcomes, all driving factors for its continued supremacy in the market.

By End Users

Based on end users, the majority of the glaucoma surgeries has been performed in hospitals and it controls over 60% share of the glaucoma surgical devices market. This is because hospitals provide integrated services and allow for clinical tasks to be performed in one location. As per the estimates for the year 2023, there are more than 6 million procedures related to glaucoma are performed around the world’s hospitals. The variety of diagnostic devices includes optical coherence tomography systems, visual field analyzers and imaging suites, which are a reason for the satisfactory amount of outpatient glaucoma surgeries. A study in 2023 on analyzing healthcare utilization found that more than 1.2 million patients admitted as inpatients in hospitals across the US only for these patients suffering from glaucoma and also seeking treatment for other diseases during their stay. These coordinated teams have proven to be effective in preventing post operative trauma for elderly patients who undergo advanced ocular surgery.

Considering the rate at which new devices and surgical procedures are being developed, hospitals have become a more prominent options for the patients to get a most latest treatment, supporting the segmental growth in the glaucoma surgical devices market. Over US$ 800 million were put together by hospital networks in the last year to modernize their equipment for departments involved with laser, stents, and imaging in the area of ophthalmology across the US. Also, in a survey of 12 developed countries, about 75% of glaucoma patients expressed comfort in undergoing complicated procedures within a hospital because of emergency services and personnel available for unrelated issues. 

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Regional Analysis 

North America leads the global glaucoma surgical devices market due to its large population, highly competent healthcare systems, and heavy investment in research and development activities. The region currently has over 3 million active glaucoma patients. It is comprised of 2.7 million individuals aged above 40 who have the most typical condition called open angle glaucoma. Moreover, with an estimated 80 million individuals worldwide suffering from the disease, it is no surprise that it is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, just further reinforces its importance. 

The US has long been recognized as a highly responsible nation with largely true epidemiology numbers, but now it has surfaced in recent data that in the US the prevalence actually is higher than what was anticipated. The glaucoma surgical devices market is growing at a staggering rate across the region, and with the introduction of new devices like ultraportable devices, minimally invasive procedures that have been developed by clinics and hospitals across the US has made such rapid growth attainable. Furthermore, the combination of research and innovative methods ensures that new technologies and medicines will emerge within the region, allowing it to capture global attention quite easily. 

The US, being a major Bric’s nation and a member of the G7 group, has a heavy influence in almost every market and the same can be said for its contribution to the North American glaucoma surgical devices market as well. The US is the largest contributor when it comes to healthcare spending and that coupled with the advancement in their engineering sector along with the availability of specialized Eye care professionals sets them apart from the rest of the world. Due to a focus on engineering new surgical devices like the minimally invasive glaucoma procedures, key hospitals and clinics around the country have been set up to ensure the best and quickest care is provided. 

Key Players in Glaucoma Surgical Devices Market 

• AbbVie Inc. (Allergan Plc.)
• Alcon Inc
• Altomed
• ASICO, LLC
• Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
• Glaukos Corporation
• Iridex Corporation.
• iStar Medical SA
• Johnson & Johnson Vision
• Katalyst Surgical
• Lumenis Ltd
• New World Medical, Inc.
• Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd
• Topcon Corporation
• Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG
• Other Prominent Players

Market Segmentation Overview:

By Device

• Canal Surgery Devices and Stents
• Tube Shunts

By Surgery Type

• Trabeculectomy
• Glaucoma Drainage Implants
• Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)
• Laser Surgeries
• Others

By End Users

• Hospitals
• Ambulatory Surgical Systems
• Speciality Clinics

By Region

• North America
  • The U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • Western Europe
    • The UK
    • Germany
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Rest of Western Europe
  • Eastern Europe
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • Rest of Eastern Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia & New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • ASEAN
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Middle East & Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • UAE
  • Rest of MEA
• South America
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Rest of South America