What If My Natural Drainage Canal Cannot Be Fully Catheterized?

To get the full benefit of Canaloplasty, it is important for your surgeon to fully catheterize your natural drainage canal. Once that’s done, your surgeon can then dilate the canal just as with angioplasty and following that, leave a stent in the canal which leaves it open after surgery. If any of these steps cannot be fully performed, then the effect of the surgery can be reduced. That being said, even if a stent cannot be placed in the canal, a recent study has shown that the pressure lowering effect can still be good, if not as good as Canaloplasty with stent. Also, your surgeon does have the option at his or her discretion of converting to a more traditional glaucoma surgery such as Trabeculectomy if he or she feels that that’s appropriate.