What is Trabeculoplasty?
In a normal healthy eye, aqueous humour, a clear liquid produced by the eye, travels around the lens and drains out through the trabecular meshwork. However, sometimes, there is a blockage in the flow of aqueous humour, resulting in increased intraocular pressure (IOP) within the eye. This condition is known as glaucoma. Trabeculoplasty is a laser surgery to treat open-angle glaucoma by lowering the intraocular pressure within the eye and correcting the drainage angle.
Who needs Trabeculoplasty?
Your doctor may recommend trabeculoplasty surgery if you have glaucoma that does not get better with other treatment options. It can be used to treat primary, secondary, open-angle or ocular hypertension glaucoma.
- Primary glaucoma: When there is no underlying health condition for the occurrence of glaucoma, the condition is known as primary glaucoma. Most cases of primary glaucoma are open-angle glaucoma.
- Secondary glaucoma: Existing eye conditions such as injuries, inflammations, or cataracts elevate the eye pressure, leading to secondary glaucoma.
- Open-angle glaucoma: A condition in which trabecular meshwork is open but does not allow the aqueous humour to drain adequately.
- Ocular hypertension: There is an above-average pressure in the eye with no detectable changes in vision or damage to the optic nerve.
People with the following symptoms of glaucoma may need trabeculoplasty:-
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Severe headache
- Red eyes
- Severe eye pain
- Blurred or low vision
- Seeing halos around light
- Patchy blind spots
- Tenderness around the eyes
Know more about Trabeculoplasty
What is Recovery and Post Op. Care after Trabeculoplasty?
At the doctor’s office:-
- The surgeon will ask you to sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Your surgeon will check the intraocular pressure in your eye an hour after the procedure.
- If your eye pressure is normal, you can go home immediately.
- If the eye pressure has increased, you may need to stay in the office for additional treatments until the pressure comes down.
- You will get a discharge on the same day of the procedure.
At home:-
- It is normal to experience blurry vision a few hours after the procedure.
- Avoid driving on the day of the surgery.
- You will not be required to wear an eye patch after the procedure.
- Continue your eye drops and medications after surgery to keep the eye pressure under control.
- Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drops.
- You can resume your normal activities on the same day as the procedure.
What are the Risks and Complications of Trabeculoplasty?
Although complications associated with a trabeculoplasty procedure are rare, some of the possible risks include:-
- A rise in eye pressure
- Vision loss
- Blurry vision
- Pain or redness
- Inflammation of the iris
- Irritation on the eye’s surface
- Temporary clouding of the cornea
- Eye infection
- Fluid leakage from the surgery site
- Bleeding inside the eye
- Cataract
Call your healthcare professional if you experience the following symptoms:-
- Severe pain
- Decreased vision
- Abnormal discharge from the eye