Treating Glaucoma

The damage caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed, so it’s important to catch the disease early before too much damage can occur. Regular eye exams are your best defense against glaucoma.

Glaucoma is treated by lowering the pressure in your eye (intraocular pressure). Guthrie’s optometrists and ophthalmologists offer medical and surgical treatments, including eye drops, medications and procedures.

Laser Therapy for Glaucoma

A number of different laser therapies are available for glaucoma. You and your eye doctor should discuss the options and decide the best treatment for you, depending on the type of glaucoma you have.

Laser treatments include:

  • Cyclophotocoagulation to slow your eye’s production of fluid
  • Laser iridiotomy to create a small hole for eye fluid to drain
  • Laser Iridoplasty to move the iris and improve drainage from your eye
  • Laser trabeculoplasty to improve drainage from your eye

Surgery for Glaucoma

If medications or laser treatment have not lowered the pressure in your eye, surgery may be an option. Guthrie’s glaucoma specialist offers surgical treatment options including:

  • Trabeculectomy reduces eye pressure by creating a hole in the eye wall for fluid to drain.
  • Aqueous shunts are devices that drain fluid from inside the eye to a small blister, or bleb, behind the eyelid. Aqueous shunts are also called tube implants, glaucoma tube shunts, glaucoma drainage devices, glaucoma drainage implants and setons.

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