Glaucoma treatment

Following your surgery, The London Clinic’s experienced team will support you as you recover.

You will usually be able to go home on the day of the operation. You may be prescribed eye drops to use regularly.

Your surgeon will closely monitor your eye and your pressures. They will check your eye on the day after the operation and will arrange several outpatient appointments to review your progress.

You should take it easy and stay off work for two weeks, longer if you have a physical job.

While you’re healing, avoid heavy lifting, do not submerge your head in water, and avoid bending so your head is below your waist. 

Your surgeon will let you know when it’s safe to get back to normal activities.

If you have any problems or worries, contact the eye team at The London Clinic for advice and assessment.

Your consultant ophthalmologist will assess and advise you in The London Clinic’s comfortable, well-equipped consulting rooms.

They will take a detailed medical history, examine your eyes, evaluate your vision, and ask about the impact your symptoms have on your wellbeing and lifestyle.

The London Clinic’s Eye Centre has state-of-the-art facilities for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. Investigations may include:

• Optic nerve examination: The specialist will apply drops to dilate the pupils. They will then carefully inspect the back of your eye. Drops can affect your vision, so a family member or friend should take you home.

• Eye pressure analysis: Your consultant will apply anaesthetic eye drops then measure the pressure using a specialist device or perform the puff of air test.

• Visual field assessment: Computerised testing can identify problems with peripheral vision, blind spots, and field defects.

• Gonioscopy: A technique to measure the angle of aqueous fluid drainage using a mirrored lens. 

In consultation with you, they will plan your treatment and explain your options and explain the risks and benefits of any procedures.

Glaucoma is a common eye condition in which pressure builds up in the eye and damages the optic nerve.

In a normal eye, the eye pressure is balanced to optimise health and function and maintain the eye’s shape. 

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that cause visual impairment and sight loss by damaging the optic nerve, the pathway connecting the eye with the brain. The types of glaucoma are:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma or POAG: The eye pressure progressively increases and damages the optic nerve. This is the most common type of glaucoma and causes a gradual deterioration in vision. 
• Acute angle closure glaucoma: There is a sudden increase in pressure due to blockage of aqueous fluid drainage. This condition causes sudden pain and, if not treated quickly, can quickly and permanently damage eyesight.
• Secondary glaucoma: Eye injuries, medication, and surgery can sometimes cause glaucoma.

• Congenital glaucoma: A rare condition in which glaucoma develops in young babies.

The London Clinic’s ophthalmic surgeons carry out glaucoma surgery as a day case procedure in our high-tech, ophthalmic operating rooms.

They often operate under local anaesthetic, although the clinic also offers general anaesthetic. It takes between 45 and 75 minutes.

Your surgeon will make a small hole in the tissue that lines the sclera, the white of your eyes.

This channel allows excess fluid to drain away, reducing the eye pressure. 

The drainage channel is permanent. The fluid drains to a reservoir or bleb on the surface of the eye. The bleb is hidden under the upper eyelid.

Anyone with glaucoma needs prompt, effective treatment to prevent visual loss.

However, glaucoma is often a silent problem, with people noticing no symptoms until their vision is permanently damaged. 

If you have noticed a visual problem or have not had a recent eye test, the ophthalmologists at The London Clinic can provide expert assessment and care.

It’s important to see a specialist if you’ve experienced:

• Visual change: Glaucoma can affect the peripheral vision, cause blind spots, and lead to tunnel vision in advanced disease.

• Pain and redness: In acute angle closure glaucoma, the pressure rises rapidly. The sudden change can make the eye red and painful. It can also make you feel sick and unwell. Your eyesight may be affected; some people see rainbow-coloured halos surrounding white lights.