Other treatment options include laser therapy and various surgical procedures. The following techniques are intended to improve the drainage of fluid within the eye, thereby lowering pressure:

• Laser trabeculoplasty: Also called laser therapy, this procedure treats open-angle glaucoma in your eye doctor’s office. A small laser makes miniscule incisions in the trabecular meshwork, which are some of the channels through which your eyes drain. It may take a few weeks before the operation takes full effect.

Although the standard treatment plan for most glaucoma patients has been to avoid surgeries, including minor laser operations, unless absolutely necessary, some newer medical studies have found that low-impact selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) can be the first intervention for open-angle glaucoma, followed by prescription eye drops.

• Filtering surgeries: These are performed without laser assistance. Your eye surgeon will make an incision in the sclera, or the white of your eye, and remove part of the trabecular meshwork in a trabeculectomy or simply make small incisions in a trabeculotomy.

Both these procedures create a “controlled flow” of aqueous humor from your eye, to reduce pressure. A goniotomy is a similar procedure, but designed specifically to alleviate fluid pressure in the eyes of newborns or infants.

An iridectomy surgically removes a small piece of the iris to allow better flow for people with narrow-angle glaucoma.

• Drainage tubes: Your eye surgeon may decide to implant drainage tubes in your eyes to drain excess aqueous fluid.

• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS): This is an umbrella term for surgeries that can lower your intraocular pressure without the same high risks as drainage tubes or trabeculoplasty. There is also less recovery time and postoperative risk associated with these operations.

For example, a deep sclerectomy involves a minimally invasive incision into the sclera to create another place for the eye to drain. A newer procedure, called a viscocanalostomy, opens a small space for your surgeon to put a tiny piece of viscoelastic gel into your eye to hold open a new drainage port so your eye pressure lowers.

• Laser peripheral iridotomy: This operation creates a small incision in your iris to drain aqueous humor from your eye. This procedure is typically used for angle-closure glaucoma, which is considered a medical emergency.

Typically, your optometrist or ophthalmologist will try to control your eye pressure with eye drops, or a combination of eye drops and laser procedures, since these are minimally invasive. Drainage tubes and filtering surgery both require an operating room and a specific surgeon. Since traditional surgeries involve longer recovery times, they are usually considered last-resort options.

After your procedure, you’ll need to see your doctor for follow-up exams. And you may eventually need to undergo additional procedures if your eye pressure begins to rise or other changes occur in your eye.