DONATE NOWMinimally Invasive Surgery for Open-Angle Glaucoma
TRABECTOME® is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for the management of open angle glaucomas.
The Trabectome® procedure is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for the management of open angle glaucomas. The surgeon makes a tiny 1.7 mm incision at the edge of your cornea to perform the procedure. They unroof Schlemm’s canal using a special handpiece that delivers an electrosurgical pulse. The surgeon cauterizes the trabecular meshwork tissue and washes out all debris with an automated irrigation-aspiration system. Typically, they remove 90–120 degrees of tissue from the nasal angle. Currently, doctors do not know whether removing more trabecular tissue will further lower intraocular pressure.
This procedure does not involve opening up the conjunctival tissues to access Schlemm’s canal. This is a major advantage of this procedure as it makes future glaucoma surgery (if needed) a lot simpler with less risk of failure.
Who is a Good Candidate for Trabectome®?
Surgeons use Trabectome® to treat open-angle glaucomas. Doctors avoid using it in patients with neovascular glaucoma, chronic angle closure, narrow-angle glaucoma, or narrow inlets with plateau iris.
How Does it Work?
Trabectome® reduces IOP by restoring the trabeculocanalicular outflow pathway. It increases the flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber, directly into and around Schlemm’s canal, and out through the collector channels (Fig.3). This procedure does not create a ‘bleb’ on the eye’s surface because it routes fluid through the eye’s normal drainage pathways.
For more details, visit the Trabectome® website.
What Steps Does a Surgeon Take During a Trabectome® Procedure?
When you and your doctor decide to proceed with Trabectome®, our preoperative scheduling nurse will meet with you. They will give detailed instructions on how to prepare for surgery and guide you to the operating room. See Preoperative Instructions for more details.
Surgeons perform this outpatient procedure in an ambulatory surgery center. The surgery usually takes less than one hour. Doctors typically use local anesthesia with intravenous sedation. After surgery, they cover the eye with a patch and protect it with a plastic shield overnight. The next morning, your ophthalmologist removes the patch, examines the eye, and prescribes eye drops to prevent infection and reduce inflammation. For more details click on Postoperative instructions.
For several weeks following the surgery, your ophthalmologist will observe your eye closely and examine you frequently. It may take up to 12 weeks after your surgery for the healing to be complete. During this time it is not unusual for your intraocular pressure, as well as vision to fluctuate. You will be ready to change your glasses prescription at around 6-8 weeks after surgery.