Glaucoma surgery is often helpful when a person’s intraocular pressure has not been lowered enough using eyedrops.
The objective of glaucoma surgery is to create a drain that allows fluid to flow from the inside of the eye to just outside the eyeball, where it collects underneath the membrane that covers the entire eyeball. (We do not feel this fluid.)
There are several ways to create a drain for the eye.
One procedure, called a trabeculectomy, involves making a small hole in the eye, through which fluid can leak out in a controlled fashion.
It is also possible to place small tubes in the eye that work as permanent drains. The Ahmed valve and Baerveldt implant are examples of this technology.