Glaucoma surgery

Glaucoma surgery is considered when intraocular pressure can't be adequately controlled with drops and/or laser, or when optic nerve damage keeps progressing despite medical treatment.

The goal of any glaucoma surgery is to create an additional drainage pathway for the eye's internal fluid, lowering pressure inside the eye more effectively and durably than drops alone.

Different surgical techniques exist — from traditional filtering surgery to minimally invasive procedures using drainage devices (MIGS) — and the choice depends on the type and severity of glaucoma, as well as whether the patient will also have cataract surgery at the same time.

It's an outpatient surgery performed under local anesthesia, and requires close monitoring in the first few weeks to make sure the new drainage pathway is working properly.