Laser Trabeculoplasty

Advantages

• When your eye pressure is relatively easy to control, laser trabeculoplasty can relieve you of the need to take eye drops, and it has few side effects
• Risks are minimal

Disadvantages

• A disadvantage of laser treatment is that it is a procedure (and any procedure involves risks), it is not a cure, and it wears off over time.
• Some patients don’t want to undergo an operation, so they choose eye drops instead. However, there are some patients who prefer laser treatment over eye drops because they don’t want to remember to put eye drops in or experience their side effects.

Treatment steps
The laser is applied through a special contact lens to the drainage system of the eye, where it induces a biochemical change that facilitates fluid drainage.

What are the risks?
A mild form of postoperative inflammation is common but is usually treated with eye drops or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

A small percentage of people have increased eye pressure after laser treatment, which can usually be treated with glaucoma medications within 24 hours.

Treatment results
As an alternative to conventional surgery, laser therapy is minimally invasive and can be performed quickly.

75-80 percent of patients can expect to see successfully lowered eye pressure, and as a result, no longer suffer with ocular hypertension.

Follow-up treatment may be required if the treatment’s effects wear off.

Glaucoma Eye Drops

Advantages

• The advantages of medications include their minimal intervention

Disadvantages

• On the downside, side effects like redness in the eye and irritation may occur, as do the need to remember to take the medications every day and the ongoing costs based on your prescription coverage.
• It needs long term compliance.

Treatment steps
Step one: You will first be prescribed treatment for glaucoma by your ophthalmologist.
Step two: Following that, it’s up to you to use your eye drops according to your doctor’s instructions.
Step three: We will need to see you regularly once you begin taking medications for glaucoma. You can expect to visit us about every 3–6 months. But this will vary based on the requirements of your treatment.

What are the risks?
There are risks associated with eye drops and medications, including irritation, redness, and allergic reactions, as well as the need to remember to take them every day.

Some eye drops may cause worsening of pre-existing chest or heart problems

Treatment results
Eye drops can help to lower eye pressure, protect the optic nerve and preserve vision.

There are five different eye drops available, and because the results are highly individualised for each patient, we often switch to another if one isn’t effective, or even use a combination.

Glaucoma Surgery

Advantages

• Glaucoma surgery has a good success rate in significantly slowing the progression of the disease

Disadvantages

• The main disadvantage of surgery is the risk of complications in addition to potential side effects. Complications will vary depending on the type of surgery performed, but include:
  • Blurred vision after surgery
  • Excessive intraocular inflammation
  • Intraocular pressure too low or too high
  • Bleeding within the eye
  • Sight-threatening infection
  • Cataract
  • Non-successful

Treatment steps
Surgery reduces intraocular pressure by cutting the eye. Depending on the type of glaucoma you have and the severity of your condition, your doctor may suggest a specific type of surgery.

What are the risks?
Surgery for patients with advanced glaucoma typically has more benefits than risks.

We’ve listed the glaucoma surgery risks and side effects below:

• Low eye pressure (or hypotony)
• Choroidal detachment
• Scarring
• Cataract formation
• Vision loss
• Bleeding in the eye
• Infection
• Failure and need further intervention

Treatment results
Recovery can take between four to six weeks after surgery. Your eye may water and be red, and your vision may be slightly blurred, but it should return to normal.

Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)

Advantages

• Minimally invasive
• Less risks
• Reduce need for eye drops
• Quick procedure
• Can be combined with cataract surgery

Disadvantages

• It is a procedure
• Does not work if IOP is very high

Treatment steps
Unlike traditional glaucoma surgery, MIGS involves microscopic-sized equipment or implants, precision lasers, and tiny incisions in the eye, resulting in less tissue trauma and a quicker visual recovery.

What are the risks?

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Failure and need further intervention

Treatment results
Reduces eye pressure and prevents glaucoma progression very effectively. For earlier stages of the disease, MIGS helps to control the pressures, and for patients with more severe diseases, it can work well, although further surgery is likely to be needed in the future.