Trabeculectomy

About Trabeculectomy

Trabeculectomy is a glaucoma operation that lowers pressure inside the eye by creating a new drainage route for the fluid called aqueous humor. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, and lowering eye pressure is the main proven way to slow its progression. Surgery is usually considered when eye drops and laser treatment are insufficient or not tolerated. Under local anesthesia the surgeon makes a partial thickness flap in the white of the eye, removes a small piece of tissue beneath it to create an opening into the anterior chamber, and loosely sutures the flap so fluid can seep out and collect under the conjunctiva in a small reservoir called a bleb. Antiscarring agents such as mitomycin C are commonly applied to reduce the tendency of the body to heal the opening closed. The operation was described in the 1960s and remains a standard glaucoma procedure. Alternatives include glaucoma drainage tube implants and a growing range of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery devices, and the choice depends on glaucoma type, severity and target pressure.