The first three types of medications decrease production of fluid in the eye, while prostaglandin helps fluid leave the eye through a different pathway located at the back of the eye. Laser procedures . An argon laser may be used to perform a procedure called a trabeculoplasty. The laser is focused into the meshwork where it alters cells there to let aqueous fluid leave the eye more efficiently. It is a painless procedure, taking 10-20 minutes, in a doctor's office or outpatient facility.
Some patients can eventually discontinue glaucoma medication.
However, pressure increases again in more than half of all patients within two years after laser surgery, according to the National Eye Institute. Incisional surgery . Open, incisional surgery may be performed if medication and initial laser treatments are unsuccessful in reducing pressure within the eye. One type of surgery, a trabeculectomy, creates an opening in the wall of the eye so that aqueous humor can drain. If it performed under local anesthetic as an outpatient procedure or may require a brief hospital stay.