What is a trabeculectomy?
A trabeculectomy is a surgery that drains glaucoma and lowers intraocular pressure, although it can also treat other pathologies such as congenital glaucoma and ocular hypertension. This procedure is resorted to when other methods do not give good results in patients and the disease continues to progress.
Why is it performed?
It is performed to reduce intraocular pressure in patients who suffer from open or closed angle glaucoma and treatment with hypotensive drugs is not sufficient. It is also useful to resort to this procedure if the disease is progressing rapidly.
What does it consist of?
It is an intervention that consists of opening an exit route from the anterior chamber of the eye to the subconjunctival space. This creates a filtering bleb under the conjunctiva through a small hole in the sclera, which is the lower part of the eye.
The technique is performed in about 45 minutes and thanks to it, the drainage of the aqueous humor is favored and the intraocular pressure is reduced.
Trabeculectomy is a surgery for the treatment of glaucoma.
Preparation for trabeculectomy
To make a proper diagnosis, the specialist in Ophthalmology performs an ophthalmologic examination that allows him to determine what type of glaucoma the patient suffers and the stage in which the pathology is. He can also diagnose other eye diseases associated with glaucoma and for which further treatment should be developed.
The most common tests in this review are a visual field study, eye pressure measurement, gonisoscopy, which allows direct visualization of the iridocorneal angle, corneal thickness measurement and optic nerve examination.
Alternatives to this treatment
Although trabeculectomy is a technique with good results and ensures high hypotensive efficacy, it is a procedure that is usually reserved for cases in which other less risky options do not provide benefits to the patient. One of the alternatives is non-perforating deep sclerectomy. Sometimes it can even be combined with cataract surgery, depending on the particular case.