# Glaucoma Surgery

> Citation bundle for Glaucoma Surgery on The Treatment Registry.
> URL: https://thetreatmentregistry.com/procedures/glaucoma-surgery
> Bundle URL: https://thetreatmentregistry.com/api/citations/procedures/glaucoma-surgery

- Category: ophthalmology

## Description

Glaucoma surgery is a type of eye surgery performed to treat glaucoma, a group of diseases which affect the optic nerve, resulting in vision loss. Glaucoma is characterized by increased intraocular pressure (IOP).

## Overview

Glaucoma surgery is eye surgery performed to treat glaucoma, a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve and can lead to vision loss, and which is characterised by raised intraocular pressure (IOP). Most glaucoma operations aim to lower IOP by helping excess aqueous humour — the fluid inside the front of the eye — to escape, while others work by reducing how much of that fluid the eye produces. Filtering surgeries are the mainstay of surgical pressure control. In these procedures the surgeon makes an opening in the sclera (a sclerotomy or sclerostomy) to create a drainage channel from the anterior chamber to the surface of the eye beneath the conjunctiva, where the fluid collects in a blister-like bleb and is slowly absorbed. Filtering operations are classed as either penetrating or non-penetrating, depending on whether the anterior chamber is entered. Trabeculectomy, a common guarded (partial-thickness) filtering procedure, removes part of the trabecular meshwork, while full-thickness options include sclerectomy and thermal sclerostomy. The other main strategy is cyclodestructive surgery, which targets the ciliary-body cells that produce aqueous humour. These procedures use freezing (cyclocryotherapy), a laser (cyclophotocoagulation), heat (cyclodiathermy) or chemical action (cycloelectrolysis). In one review, 47% of eyes treated with transscleral cyclophotocoagulation achieved an IOP reduction of at least 20%, with no clear difference between low-energy and high-energy settings.

## Peer-reviewed outcome rates

- **Complication rate:** 18.50% (range 17.00–20.00%) — from 2 cited sources

## FAQs

### How glaucoma affects your life?

If you have glaucoma, it's normal to worry about how much your vision might change and how you will manage if it does.

### What is glaucoma?

This video explains what glaucoma is and why it's important to have regular eye tests

### What causes glaucoma?

Medical experts aren't sure what causes glaucoma, but the most common types usually happen when the fluid pressure inside your eye slowly rises, damaging the optic nerve. Other types of glaucoma may be caused by medical conditions, or a baby may be born with it.

### What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Often there are no symptoms of glaucoma at first. Or symptoms may start so slowly that you may not notice them. Without treatment, you slowly lose your peripheral (side) vision. It may seem like you're looking through a tunnel. Over time, your straight-ahead vision may decrease until no vision remains.

### How is glaucoma diagnosed?

A comprehensive eye exam can tell if you have glaucoma. This would include:

### What are the treatments for glaucoma?

Early treatment can help protect your eyes against vision loss. There is no cure, but glaucoma can usually be controlled. Without treatment it can eventually cause blindness. Treatments can include:

## Cited authors

- Michael A Connor — Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA.
- Mohamed A Eldaly — Ophthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

## Sources

- [Non-penetrating filtration surgery versus trabeculectomy for open-angle glaucoma.](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007059.pub2) — The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (accessed 2026-06-28)
- [Trainee glaucoma surgery: experience with trabeculectomy and glaucoma drainage devices.](https://doi.org/10.3928/15428877-20100625-01) — Ophthalmic surgery, lasers & imaging : the official journal of the International Society for Imaging in the Eye (accessed 2026-06-28)