An in-office laser treatment may be used to treat glaucoma. One of the types of laser treatment, an iridotomy, is used to treat narrow/closed angle glaucoma. Another type of laser treatment, a trabeculoplasty, is used to treat open angle glaucoma, especially when drops are unsuccessful. During a trabeculoplasty, a laser is directed into the trabecular meshwork, the drain of your eye. The effects of this laser treatment develops over several weeks and generally lasts twelve to eighteen months. The response rate is between 50% to 80%.
If the pressure is not controlled by drops or laser, or in some emergency cases, your doctor may recommend glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy or glaucoma drainage implants). The goal with this outpatient surgery is to essentially create a new drain for the eye, which fluid can drain through, thereby reducing the pressure in the eye.
