Glaucoma
What laser treatments are used for glaucoma?
The laser treatments used for glaucoma at Standard Eye are diode laser cyclophotocoagulation and thermal cyclophotocoagulation. Rather than opening drainage channels, these lasers treat the ciliary body, the part of the eye that produces fluid, so less fluid is made and the pressure falls. They are usually reserved for eyes where pressure remains high despite drops or surgery, or where other surgery is unsuitable. Treatment is done as a day case and takes a short time.
How cyclophotocoagulation works
The eye constantly produces a clear fluid called aqueous humour, and pressure rises when production outpaces drainage. Cyclophotocoagulation applies controlled laser energy to the ciliary body, the tissue that makes this fluid. Reducing production lowers the pressure inside the eye, which is the only proven way of slowing glaucoma damage. The aim is to protect the vision you still have. Damage already done to the optic nerve cannot be reversed.
Diode laser and thermal cyclophotocoagulation
Diode laser cyclophotocoagulation, sometimes called subcyclo when delivered in a gentler targeted pattern, passes laser energy through the white of the eye to the ciliary body. Thermal cyclophotocoagulation uses carefully controlled heat to achieve a similar effect. Your ophthalmologist chooses the approach based on the condition of your eye, the pressure that needs to be reached and what treatment you have already had.
Who it suits
- Eyes where pressure stays high despite drops or previous surgery
- Eyes where drainage surgery such as trabeculectomy is unsuitable or has not worked
- Eyes with advanced damage where a meaningful pressure reduction is needed
- Patients who find multiple daily drops difficult to sustain
What to expect on the day
- The eye is numbed, and the area around it may also be numbed for comfort
- The treatment itself takes only a short time and you go home the same day
- Pressure is rechecked before you leave and again at follow up visits
- Ache, light sensitivity and slight blurring for a day or two are common, and anti inflammatory drops are often prescribed
After laser
Continue your existing glaucoma drops unless your ophthalmologist specifically tells you to change them. The pressure-lowering effect builds over days to weeks, and follow up confirms whether it has settled where it should. Treatment can be repeated if the effect is not enough, and monitoring continues long term because cyclophotocoagulation slows damage but does not cure glaucoma.
When to seek urgent assessment
- Increasing pain, marked redness or falling vision in the days after laser treatment
Frequently asked questions
- Is cyclophotocoagulation painful?
- The eye is numbed beforehand, so most people feel pressure or a brief ache rather than sharp pain. Some aching afterwards is normal and settles with simple pain relief.
- Does laser cure glaucoma?
- No. It lowers eye pressure to slow further damage. Monitoring continues afterwards, and further treatment is sometimes needed.
Concerned about these symptoms?
Arrange an eye examination with our consultant ophthalmologist in Garki, Abuja.
Care at Standard Eye
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