Canaloplasty is surgery. And as a surgery it does have some risks. So the question is to whether or not it’s worth taking the risk, if your glaucoma is currently controlled on drops is one that needs to be individually addressed by you as well as your glaucoma surgeon or specialist. Drops themselves are not without risks. Some of the drops even the ones that had been around for a very long times such as the beta-blockers, can result in low blood pressure, low heart rate, fatigue, depression. Other classes of drops have their own side effect profile. There’s the expensive drop to consider, if your drops are too expensive for you to take on a regular basis, then you’re not really getting the effect. And if you’re not getting the effect, then your glaucoma maybe progressing. Other things to consider are of course lifestyle issues, if the glaucoma drops are resulting in dry irritated eyes, that could be causing some blurred vision then, they may not actually to be the best treatment option for you.
One of the aspects about canaloplasty that’s exciting is that in a sense it’s a restorative procedure. It restores the canal to its natural function, and once it’s open, fluid can exit the eye the way it was meant to, into the natural drainage canals. Once that happens the pressure is reduced. And by reducing the pressure most patients with canaloplasty are able to stop some or all of their drops. Then whatever issues they are having for their drops be it be expense, lifestyle involvement, irritation, are also reduced.
So again, although canaloplasty is surgery, and surgery does have risks, these risks needs to be balanced with the lifestyle effects, financial considerations and other side effects of drops. These things are worth discussing with your surgeon or glaucoma specialists, if you feel that you’re having difficulty with your drop therapy.
