New Glaucoma Treatment May Change the Way Glaucoma is Treated in the Future

A new, innovative treatment for glaucoma is being compared to angioplasty for heart patients because it has the potential to change the way glaucoma is treated in the future. The procedure is called canaloplasty, and some argue that it is now the best treatment option for those suffering from glaucoma. Canaloplasty can keep eye pressures low allowing doctors to manage the disease, so patients may never have to undergo traditional glaucoma surgery leading to a much higher quality of life for patients.

To date, only a few hundred of these procedures have been performed in the United States, but eye doctors expect that to change quickly. Dr. Bennett at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers is now performing the procedure for glaucoma patients.

Canaloplasty is a non-penetrating procedure, meaning that it does not pierce the entire corneal thickness as is the traditional way to treatment glaucoma through surgery. During canaloplasty, a doctor uses a microcatheter to widen a canal in the eye called the Schlemm’s canal that collects excess fluid and deposits it into the bloodstream. Glaucoma can be caused by blockage of this canal, as fluid production continues and creates high intraocular pressure. A canaloplasty procedure restores the eye’s natural drainage system.

Compared to traditional glaucoma treatments, some benefits include:

• Potential reduction or elimination of medications and associated costs
• Easier, less restrictive post-op course
• Lower risk of post-op complications
• Reduced scarring Allows for other treatment alternatives in the future

“Recovery time with canaloplasty is faster than with previous treatments, and there have been fewer incidents of post-operative complications. In addition, the ability to live medication-free is attractive to many patients,” said Dr. Bennett.

Not all patients are candidates. To be eligible for a canaloplasty, one must have the most common type of glaucoma and cannot have had previous glaucoma surgeries other than Laser procedures. Glaucoma has been dubbed the “sneak thief of sight,” because it can silently steal your vision. It currently accounts for 18 percent of blindness in the United States. By the year 2020, ophthalmologists estimate that 3.6 million Americans will suffer from glaucoma.