Safety.
Canaloplasty is safer than traditional glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy). If you are considering glaucoma surgery to prevent further vision loss then choosing a surgery that has fewer risks makes sense.
Age.
Younger patients need a better option than traditional glaucoma surgery. Traditional glaucoma surgery is less likely to succeed in younger patients and carries a lifetime risk of infection. Success with Canaloplasty is not age dependent and there is no lifetime risk of infection.
Active Lifestyle.
If you are an energetic person who enjoys such activities as watersports, it is important for you to know that having traditional glaucoma surgery will severely limit your ability to participate in certain sports. No such limitation exists with Canaloplasty. Once healed, patients who have had Canaloplasty are able to return to their previous active lifestyles without restriction or limitation.
Nearsighted.
People who are very nearsighted (highly myopic) are at a much higher risk of vision-threatening complications from traditional glaucoma surgeries. This is not true with Canaloplasty.
Ethnicity.
Traditional glaucoma surgery has a high failure rate among black patients. In contrast, Canaloplasty has a well-established track record of success among many races.
Fear of Cataract.
If you do not currently have a cataract, you should know that the risk of developing one increases substantially after traditional glaucoma surgery. This risk is much lower with Canaloplasty.
Difficulty with Glaucoma Medications.
If you are having trouble tolerating or affording your glaucoma medications, then Canaloplasty may be an option for you. With traditional glaucoma surgeries, the risk is just too high to consider for reasons of financial hardship or side effects of medicines alone.
These are just some of the many reasons to consider Canaloplasty. If you have open angle glaucoma (the most common type) and are considering glaucoma surgery, then you should explore your available options before making a decision. Although there are certainly instances where traditional glaucoma surgery is the best (or even only ) option available, most patients with glaucoma are candidates for Canaloplasty and should consider this safer option.
