There are several treatments available if you have glaucoma, and one of these is surgery. If you need glaucoma surgery, you first need to see an optometrist at Albuquerque Vision Care and Advanced Eyeware for your eye exam in Albuquerque, NM.
What Is Glaucoma?
If you have glaucoma, you have a serious eye disease that can have a big effect on your vision. It happens when there has been damage to your optic nerve. This is a nerve that runs behind the eyeballs and brings messages to your brain. When your eyes have pressure inside them that's higher than normal, this can cause damage to this important nerve. This can have serious effects on your sight. Glaucoma may begin slowly and have few symptoms, but it will keep getting worse and rob you of vision. Without treatments, it can cause blindness.
Glaucoma Treatments
Some patients need medication to help keep their eye pressure lower. Others may need other types of treatments, such as surgery. If you are getting treatment for your condition, but it just keeps getting worse, surgery may be what you need to stop this progression. It can be highly effective at stopping you from losing more vision. However, no matter what type of treatment you get, you can't get back any vision that has already been lost. For those who get glaucoma surgery, there are different types. The goal is generally to lower the eyes' high pressure.
Getting Glaucoma Surgery
One type of this surgery is called trabeculectomy. This is done in a hospital, and it takes under an hour to complete. Glaucoma comes in different types, and this type of surgery is usually right for people who have a type called open-angle glaucoma. To do this surgery, the surgeon makes an incision that's under the eyelid so there aren't any visible scars afterward. This allows for better drainage of the eye's fluid and lowers the eye pressure.
You stay awake during this surgery. Numbing drops are used so that you're comfortable throughout it. This is a type of outpatient surgery, and you will need someone to drive you home after this surgery.
There is also implant surgery to help with glaucoma. This is a surgery that takes longer. A shunt is implanted into the eye to help the fluid drain out better to lower the eye pressure.
See the Optometrist
When you need glaucoma surgery, call Albuquerque Vision Care and Advanced Eyeware in Albuquerque, NM, at 505-332-2020. We want you to get the specific treatment that you need to stop the progress of glaucoma.
