Glaucoma Surgery
There are many surgical options for Glaucoma including:
1. Cataract surgery:
Recent studies have shown that cataract removal alone may bring about a lowering of eye pressure because the cataract itself may impede the outflow of fluid at the narrowed drainage canal. For this reason, patients who have cataracts might want to consider surgery sooner rather than later, to prevent the onset of Glaucoma.
2. MIGS (micro-invasive Glaucoma surgery):
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.
3. Trabeculectomy:
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.
4. Drainage implant surgery:
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.
5. Ciliary body ablation:
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.
