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Selective Laser Trabeculectomy

What is selective laser trabeculectomy? A trabeculectomy is the procedure that is used to treat glaucoma. It relieves the pressure that builds up behind the optical nerve that can cause damage to the nerve and result in blindness. The trabeculectomy is the most common of all of the procedures that are used to treat glaucoma and has a high success rate. This procedure is always selective laser trabeculectomy as it is not a life saving procedure, but a procedure that can end up saving your eyesight.

If you are given the option of using selective laser trabeculectomy, you will most likely find yourself in a clinic or in the office of an eye surgeon. This procedure is done in an out patient basis and you will be administered anesthesia. In most cases, you will not get full anesthesia, but will get what is known as twilight anesthesia that allows you to undergo the procedure without feeling any pain but without being put to sleep.

For the most part, the procedure has shown to be successful in the treatment of glaucoma. There are some complications that can occur after a selective laser trabeculectomy. These include infection and leakage that can cause the need for more repair. After you have had selective laser trabeculectomy, hyou will most likely have to be monitored by the doctor for any signs of these complications.

If you opt for selective laser trabeculectomy and the procedure is not successful, a second procedure can be performed at another site near the optic nerve. However, this is rarely necessary as this procedure has been used with great success for a significant period of time. Your doctor will be able to decide whether or not you are a candidate for selective laser trabeculectomy.

Years ago, there was little hope for those who had glaucoma. The disease robbed them of their eyesight over a period of time. Today, thanks to the technology of laser surgery, there are many options when it comes to treating this condition. The trabeculectomy is one of several different ways to treat glaucoma.

Anyone can get glaucoma and there are many different types of this condition. Many people who get glaucoma that requires laser surgery are elderly and a good many of them suffer from diabetes. However, it is not only the elderly who suffer from glaucoma. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Each year, thousands of people lose their sight to this disease.

In most cases, the selective laser trabeculectomy will be a successful surgery in that the person will have much better vision than they had prior to the surgery. While the vision may not be perfect, in most cases it will be a significant improvement. Most doctors will try to treat this condition with medication and other forms of treatment before resorting to a selective laser trabeculetomy, which is considered to be an invasive procedure.

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