Glaucoma surgery is recommended when medications or laser treatments fail to control pressure effectively, and when patients opt for an improved quality of life, with lesser dependence on eyedrops, while safeguarding vision and preserving eye health.
There are many surgical options for Glaucoma including:
This is a new category of treatments in which small implantable devices are placed in the angle to assist in aqueous outflow or mechanically widen the drainage channels in the angle. It can be performed at the same time as cataract surgery.
This surgery entails creating a small shunt or pathway for the fluid to drain from the peripheral iris to a space under the conjunctiva called a bleb. This pathway bypasses the obstructed drainage canal and the fluid under the bleb then gets reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
An implantable device (such as a Molteno valve or an Ahmed valve) with a tube in the anterior chamber at one end and a valved chamber under the conjunctiva at the other end, allows the fluid to exit the eye via an alternate pathway that bypasses the drainage canal.
Ciliary body ablation is a last resort and is reserved for those people with pressures that have not been lowered by eyedrops, laser and other surgeries.
