Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve, typically occurring when fluid builds up and starts to increase pressure inside the eye. More than three million Americans have glaucoma, yet only half of those people know they have it, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness and there is no cure. Eye drops and oral medications can be prescribed to help treat glaucoma, but in serious cases, surgery is the only option to lower eye pressure to prevent or to slow down damage to the optic nerve. Understandably, you may have many questions about what to expect with glaucoma surgery. Here’s a look at the risks, benefits, and side effects associated with this type of surgery.
Risks of Glaucoma Surgery
As with any type of operation, there are some risks that come with glaucoma surgery, from vision loss to infection. This surgery does have a high rate of success, despite the risks, and can greatly slow the progression of glaucoma. Here’s a look at the risks you should be aware of:
- Vision loss
- Infection
- Bleeding in the eye
- Low eye pressure (or hypotony)
- Scarring
- Cataracts
Vision Loss
Glaucoma surgery can temporarily disrupt your vision. Most of the time, it’s just reduced for a short period of time, but in rare cases, total loss could result.
Bleeding
Rare complications include infection, bleeding in the eye, and the formation of fluid pockets behind the retina. These occur due to extremely low eye pressures.
Infection
You will be given antibiotics before, during, and after surgery to stave off infection, but sometimes infection still occurs inside the eye, threatening your vision. This can happen months of even years after the surgery, with symptoms including redness, excessive tearing, and pain.
Low Eye Pressure
Eye pressure that is too low is called hypotony, whereby fluid collects behind the retina, causing a shadow in your peripheral vision. It is usually temporary.
Cataracts
Cataract formation can be hastened by glaucoma surgery, but the good news is that cataracts can be corrected with surgery as well, either at the same time or in a second procedure.
Benefits
Now that you know the risks involved in glaucoma surgery, it’s important to note that the benefits often outweigh those risks. Glaucoma surgery is designed to lower eye pressure, while preserving your vision. There is a high success rate associated with this type of surgery.
Additional damage to the optic nerve can be prevented by lowering eye pressure so that further vision loss does not occur. Usually, the goal of glaucoma surgery is to slow down vision loss, not completely halt it; preservation of sight for as long as possible is the ultimate goal.
It’s important to get regular eye checkups so your ophthalmologist can monitor your surgical outcome to make sure things are progressing nicely. Sometimes, another procedure is necessary down the line.
Side Effects
Part of being educated about surgery is knowing what the side effects could be and how to prepare for them. Here’s a look at the side effects that could arise with glaucoma surgery.
- Swollen, sore eyes
- Cataracts
- Problems with the cornea
- Low eye pressure
- Vision loss
- Decreased or blurry vision
- Redness
- Bleeding
- Headache
- Infection
- Irritation
- Blind spots in peripheral vision
The good news is that most of these side effects are rare, and most symptoms (such as watering of eyes, sandy sensations, or blurring of vision) will clear within a few days. You may experience soreness and irritation from the sutures or due to the surgery itself. Again, these sensations should go away shortly.
Before leaving for home from the surgery, you may be provided with a shield to wear over your eye. This prevents bumping or rubbing your eye (especially at night while sleeping). Your eyedrop prescriptions will likely change after the surgery; your doctor may either prescribe new eye drops for a faster recovery time, or stop one or more of your previous eyedrops. Glaucoma surgery doesn’t typically cause pain, but if you experience extreme discomfort, call your eye doctor about ways to relieve it.
Book Your Glaucoma Surgery Consultation With Broberg Eye Care
To learn more about glaucoma surgery, schedule an appointment for a consultation at (512) 447-6096. When you meet with your glaucoma surgeon, you will receive all the information you need for what to expect before, during, and after your surgery.