Glaucoma Surgery: Methods, Side Effects, Benefits and Details

Do you have Glaucoma? Are you looking into surgical options to overcome your condition? Then read up on this article which consists of major details, side effects, benefits and other details related to Glaucoma and its surgical treatment processes.

What is Glaucoma?

A glaucoma is a group of diseases, which primarily cause degradation or damage to your optical nerves. It is a chronic and progressive condition, which means that without treatment the problem will continue to get worse and eventually the patient suffering from Glaucoma may even lose their eyesight completely. The damage to the optic nerve bundle is mainly caused due to excessive pressure inside the eye.

The most successful treatments for Glaucoma revolve around creating conditions that lower this high ocular pressure to stop the nerve from getting more damaged. However, people should always remember that the damage that has already occurred cannot be reversed or cured by any process or operations that are known to date. It is important that a patient gets a detailed analysis of the state of their eye before the treatment. The extent to which Glaucoma has spread, and how can its further expansion be prevented – these are two questions you need to raise to your ophthalmologist.

It is also important to have realistic expectations from the treatment you have selected or is best suited for you. A number of treatment methods exist for glaucoma, which we have discussed elaborately in the later sections of the article. However, irrespective of the method of the treatment, it is important you only consult experts such as PersonalEyes.  Afterall, Glaucoma could lead to total blindness and beyond curable damages, if not noticed and handled properly.

Types of surgery for Glaucoma:

Glaucoma can be corrected via various types of surgical procedures. The most common surgical procedures for Glaucoma include laser treatments. Among the surgical methods which leverage laser tech, the most common prototypes are Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT) and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT). Both of these treatments are focused on trying to get the clogged fluids out of your eyes so that the pressure on your optical nerves decreases.

Both of these treatments have a high success rate of around 75%, in cases where there are minimal to no complications. However, due to some medical complications, if these treatments aren’t suitable for an individual, then the other options used by doctors include Laser Peripheral Iridotomy (LPI) and Cyclophotocoagulation. However, despite successful treatment, repeated procedures may be needed to deal with glaucoma and hamper its growth to avoid its build up over time.

During treatment, drugs are given to quieten the e-activity of the eyes and the operations need to be conducted with smooth precision. Due to the high-focused characteristics of the deployed laser beams, there are certain side effects of Glaucoma’s laser surgery. Moreover, if not done right, Glaucoma may relapse with higher intensity. Some of the major side effects have been discussed in the next section.

Benefits and side effects of surgical treatments of Glaucoma

Glaucoma surgery is very beneficial at slowing down the damage that the disease wrecks on your eyes. However, due to the nature of the condition, no surgical method can cure it completely. It keeps reoccurring. However, some unwanted side effects from the operating procedures have been listed below. Some of the major side effects that can occur as a result of poorly conducted surgeries are as follows:

• Vision Loss
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Low Eye Pressure
• Scarring
• Cataract

Thus, you should take proper care of your eyes and paying regular visits to a good ophthalmologist could also prevent your vision before the matter slips out of your hands!