Introduction to Glaucoma Surgery
Glaucoma (also known as aqueous humor or blue water) is not a condition you can easily ignore or brush aside. It can cause worrying symptoms that affect your daily activities. If you've tried using eye drops or laser therapy to treat glaucoma but haven't achieved satisfactory results, surgery may be your next step.
Glaucoma surgery can lower the pressure inside your eye to prevent damage to the optic nerve. The procedure, also known as "trabeculectomy," is the most common type of glaucoma surgery and aims to remove part of the drainage tubes to facilitate fluid outflow from the eye. Other types of glaucoma surgery include "angle surgery," "tube shunt surgery," and "aqueous shunt bypass."
Benefits of Glaucoma Surgery
- Lowering the pressure inside your eye and preventing further damage to the optic nerve.
- Treating glaucoma and its bothersome symptoms that affect your vision.
- Getting treatment that spares you the need for frequent use of eye drops.
- Receiving cost-effective treatment with a high success rate.
Suitable Candidates for Glaucoma Surgery
You may be suitable or ideally qualified for glaucoma surgery if you already suffer from glaucoma, especially if you are an adult with a family history of this disease. However, the choice of the appropriate type of glaucoma surgery largely depends on the type and severity of glaucoma you have.
Risks of Glaucoma Surgery
Glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy) is a safe procedure, but it still carries some potential risks, such as:
- Infection, swelling, or bleeding.
- Double vision.
- Severe decrease in eye pressure.
- Detachment of the eye's choroid.
- Drooping eyelid.
- Vision impairment.
- Scarring.
