(Eye surgery, Vision Correction, Glaucoma Surgery, Glaucoma Treatment Abroad)
1. General Treatment Information
a) Expected results, benefits
What are the advantages of glaucoma laser treatment?
Damage to the optic nerve cannot be reversed; that is why it is so important to catch the disease in the early phase. The expected result in glaucoma treatment is lowering pressure in your eye to prevent you from the sight loss.
b) About the procedure
Glaucoma is a chronic, continuous and advancing optic nerve deterioration. Usually, it concerns people over 40 years old. Optic nerve that transmits visual messages to your brain is being damaged which is often caused by too high pressure inside your eye (IOP, intraocular pressure). Treatment of glaucoma involves lowering of IOP to slow down or prevent the damage to your optic nerve. The treatment usually begins with medications such as eye drops, laser techniques, and when those are not well tolerated or have failed the doctor may suggest surgical procedures.
The following surgical methods are intended to lower the eye pressure by improving the drainage of fluid within the eye:
- Laser therapy. Laser trabeculoplasty is a good option for people with open-angle glaucoma. The doctor uses a laser beam to open plugged channels in the trabecular meshwork. The full effect shows in a few weeks.
- Filtering surgery. During a trabeculectomy, your surgeon makes an opening in the eye white (sclera) and extracts a part of the trabecular meshwork.
- Drainage tubes. In this kind of surgical treatment, the doctor inserts a small tube in your eye.
- Electrocautery. This is a minimally invasive method to clean your tubercular meshwork, where Traubecutome – an electrocautery device is used.
c) Treatment Schedule
The procedure is quick and painless; the whole surgery lasts about 30 minutes.
d) Potential side effects
What are the risks of glaucoma laser treatment?
A most common side effect (about 20%) is the temporary growth of the inside eye pressure afte r1-4 hours after the procedure. Patient has to stay under the Doctors supervision, so if the complications occur, medicines and eye drops could be applied immediately. Rarely the iris inflammation happens.
e) Full Recovery Time
You can come back to your daily routines right after the procedure (just have to wait several hours to check the pressure in your eye) and come back for the control visit. After trabeculoplasty (SLT) the eye pressure is lower about 25-30% by 80% of Patients after 6 weeks from the procedure.
2. Patient’s preparation
6 hours before the surgery you should not use any cosmetics or makeup containing alcohol (you should not use any at all). In the day of the procedure, you should not drink coffee or alcohol. Use eye drops after removing eye shield and continue for four weeks.
3. Diagnostics
Five factors should be checked before making a glaucoma diagnosis, inner eye pressure, shape and colour of the optic nerve, complete field of vision, angle in the eye where the iris meets the cornea and thickness of the cornea.
4. Qualification for the procedure
If Patient is diagnosed with Glaucoma and pharmacological treatment does not give any positive effects than laser procedure may be necessary. Doctor makes a decision after careful examination.