Glaucoma Laser Treatment

Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that occurs due to obstructions in the flow of the fluids inside the eyes. This increases the pressure inside the eye, which can cause damage to the optic nerve. Laser surgery is an outpatient procedure that effectively treats most forms of glaucoma.

Considerations

• The success of laser surgery for the treatment of glaucoma depends on the patient's age, eye structure, type of glaucoma and medical history.

Types

• The common types of laser surgeries for treatment of glaucoma include: argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT), selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) and yag laser cyclophotocoagulation (Yag CP).

Procedure

• Local anesthesia is applied to the patient's eye to make it numb. A special contact lens is put on the eye to help the surgeon aim the laser properly.

Recovery

• Patients may feel itchiness in the eye after surgery, which goes away within a day or two. It can take up to four weeks after surgery for the eye pressure to return to normal.

Risks

• The risks include: temporary increase in eye pressure, excessive decrease in eye pressure and formation of cataracts (in rare cases).