High success rate

THE local success rate of Glaucoma surgery is 90 per cent and above.

Ophthalmologist, Dr. Dawn Grosvenor, disclosed this as she spoke on the topic, ‘Glaucoma Surgery: Revelations’ last Monday. The public lecture, held in Lecture Theatre 4, Clico Building at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, was one of the activities for Barbados Glaucoma Week 2018. It additionally formed part of UWI’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

“In reality, the success rates of Glaucoma surgery are quite good from 70 to 90 per cent in most studies. Our success reflects that here and I think that we are 90 and above for the most part. When we talk about success with Glaucoma surgery, remember we are not talking about reversing the damage that has already been done. Success means we got the pressure down where we want it to be.”

She further explained that “if that scar tissue happens, it can grow over those channels that we created and slow down that drain and that is the main reason for failure of the surgery”.

Dr. Grosvenor, during her address, also sought to debunk some of the myths individuals have about Glaucoma surgery. One myth she tackled was the view that the eye or eyes are removed and later returned during the surgery. She assured that this was not the case.

“This is often a question that I get asked, ‘How do we access the eye in order to perform the surgery?’ If you haven’t had the surgery before, you would hear somebody saying, ‘Yes, they take out the eye and then they put it back in’; that is the first myth. We do not take out the eye. We work hard and train very long hours to make sure we do not take out eyes accidentally.”

She urged individuals if they are diagnosed with Glaucoma, they should not panic and a Glaucoma diagnosis does not mean they would lose their vision. There are treatment options such as the use of drops, laser or two types of surgeries – Trabeculectomy or Glaucoma implant surgery – that could be recommended by the eye doctor.