Angle Closure Glaucoma Treatment After Operation

The most common surgical treatment for angle-closure glaucoma is an in-the-office procedure called a laser peripheral iridotomy. This can be either a planned procedure or an emergency procedure conducted during acute angle closure. The laser peripheral iridotomy, or LPI, may be repeated as necessary to ensure maintenance of a proper intraocular pressure. Most often both eyes should be treated as there is an 80 percent chance the other eye will suffer angle closure after the first eye does.

Immediately After Surgery

• An LPI is most often done in the surgeon's office. In essence, the laser is used to create another small hole or pathway allowing the aqueous flud of the eye to drain properly reducing pressure in the eye. In the case of an acute angle closure, with emergency surgery, several eye drops will be given to the patient as well as an oral diuretic to reduce the eye pressure. Numbing drops will be used to prevent pain during the surgery and steroid eye drops may be administered after the surgery to promote healing.

The Day of the Surgery

• Most ophthalmologists will ask you to return to the clinic the day after the surgery for a quick pressure check. This will involve only take a few moments and may be performed by an optical technician or by your optometrist rather than your surgeon. The doctor will want to verify that the procedure has reduced the pressure in your eye.

Long-Term Care After Surgery

• Although the laser surgery will create new means to reduce the pressure in your eyes, follow-up care including regular pressure checks and daily eye drops is almost always required. Depending on the severity of the glaucoma, the doctor may order multiple drops per day and the surgery may have to be repeated. Some patients report seeing tiny dots in their field of vision after the surgery. This is not unusual, but should be reported to your doctor if it occurs.