Surgery for Glaucoma

[Mickey7]

I am 45 years old and have been on prostaglandin eye drops for glaucoma for about three years.  Prior to that my pressures were monitored for about 10 years.  The pressures seem to be fairly well controlled, but my right optic nerve continues to degenerate, so my opthalmologist has suggested we consider an SLT procedure. Since the pressures are okay, it's not clear to me how this will help. Are there other benefits to SLT in addition to reducing pressure?  

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

Glaucoma is a very complex diesease that we don't come close to understanding. Your IOPs might run high in the evening or in the middle of the night but be normal in the day (think of IOP like the tide at the ocean).  The SLT would be to try and control peaks and spikes at night/evening.  

Go for the SLT if the eye is getting worse.

JC HMD