Treatment of Open Angle Glaucoma

Although open-angle glaucoma cannot be cured, the disease can usually be controlled with treatment.  While treatments may save remaining vision, they cannot improve sight already lost from glaucoma. The most common treatments for glaucoma are medication, laser treatment and surgery.

For most people with glaucoma, regular use of glaucoma eye drops will control the increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and slow down the progression of the disease.  Sometimes these eye drops will loose effect over time, or may cause side effects.  If this happens, your eye doctor may prescribe different eye drops, change the dose, or suggest other ways to deal with your glaucoma.

Laser surgery is another treatment for glaucoma.  Laser Trabeculoplasty (LTP) and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) are advanced laser techniques used to treat open-angle glaucoma. The laser treatment is performed in the consulting rooms at Vision Eye Institute.   Admission to hospital is not required. Anaesthetic eye drops are to numb your eye and there is usually little or no discomfort.  During laser surgery, a strong beam of light is focused on the part of your eye where the fluid leaves the eye. This results in a series of small holes that makes it easier for fluid to exit the eye. Over time, the effect of laser surgery may wear off.  In many cases you will need to continue with your eye drops after laser.

If your condition continues to progress your eye doctor may recommend Glaucoma Filtration eye surgery to control your glaucoma.  Surgery is used to create a new passage in your eye to allow fluid to by-pass the obstruction and drain out of the eye. Glaucoma filtration surgery is usually performed under local anaesthetic and you do not need to stay overnight. Glaucoma Filtration Surgery is usually performed as a day procedure in one our Vision day surgery centres.