An Introduction to Glaucoma Laser Surgery
Laser surgery (known as laser trabeculoplasty) for
glaucoma treatment helps fluid drain out of the eye.
Glaucoma laser surgery can't repair existing damage, but it usually stops glaucoma in both acute emergencies and open angle cases. Laser surgery for glaucoma may involve minor side effects, but its risks are quite low. Its low risk allows earlier use in the course of glaucoma, when the potential benefit is greater.
These reasons may explain why glaucoma laser surgery has largely displaced traditional glaucoma surgery, which involves hospital stays and higher risks.
Before Glaucoma Laser Surgery
Glaucoma laser surgery is performed in your doctor's office or eye clinic. Before the laser surgery, numbing drops will be applied to your eye.
During Glaucoma Laser Surgery
As you sit facing the laser machine, your doctor will hold a special lens to your eye. A high-intensity beam of light is aimed at the lens and reflected onto the meshwork inside your eye. You may see flashes of bright green or red light. The laser makes several evenly spaced burns that stretch the drainage holes in the meshwork, allowing the fluid to drain better.
There's little or no additional pain, and often not even an unpleasant sensation, with glaucoma laser surgery.
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