How to Treat Glaucoma With Surgery

If you suffer from a more severe type of glaucoma, you may need to undergo surgery on your eyes to treat it. Depending on your symptoms, your general health and the recommendations of your doctor, traditional surgery or laser treatment may be necessary to treat your glaucoma. Surgery is usually used to lower eye pressure when treatment with medication has not been effective.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Talk to your doctor about the type of surgery she recommends to treat your glaucoma. Your doctor will need to review your medical history and the results of your diagnostic tests to determine the appropriate type of surgery. She will also review with you the associated risks of the different surgery options and help you decide on the best option for you.

2. Ask your doctor about the benefits of laser surgery over traditional surgery. In most cases, your doctor will suggest the use of laser surgery, as it is a more advanced and exact procedure, unless the pressure in your eyes is abnormally high or the optic nerve is severely damaged. During laser surgery, an extremely small beam of light is used to make incisions on the eye that scar and allow fluid to flow out.

3. Review the methods used with traditional surgery if your doctor thinks it should be used instead of, or in addition to, laser surgery to treat your severe case of glaucoma. In cases where the pressure of the eye is dangerously high or laser surgery has not been effective in reducing the pressure, surgical tools may be used to cut a small hole in the eye to allow drainage.

4. Determine how much recovery time will be necessary after your surgical procedure. Laser surgery is usually performed in an ophthalmologist's office or in a specialty eye clinic, and you will generally be able go home within the same day of your surgery, though your vision will be blurry. Traditional surgery is also usually performed as an outpatient procedure, meaning you will not be required to stay overnight in a hospital. In both cases, you will need to have a follow-up appointment so that your doctor can inspect your eyes for any signs of infection of excessive inflammation.

5. Follow all of your doctor's advice regarding proper care for your eyes after your surgery. You will need to keep water out of your eyes and avoid activities that directly involve your vision, such as driving and reading. Most likely, your vision will be blurry for about 6 weeks following the procedure, and you may need a new prescription for your glasses or contact lenses to see properly.

Tips & Warnings

• It is important to remember that in most cases, surgery will not be able to reverse any serious loss of vision.
• Arrange for a ride home from your glaucoma surgery, as your vision will be impaired.

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