IOP post trabeculectomy

[ChrisNorthEast]

Anyone had significant IOP reduction with trabeculectomy? Have you sustained this overtime? Please share stories. Thanks

[Lorraine-3]

I had the Op in January 2021. It was a bit up and down for the first couple of weeks but since then the pressure has remained at 8, down from 20+. I’ve had no problems with it and I’m glad I had it done.

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

Lorraine thanks for the reply and can I ask where you had it done?

What was your post operative recovery like and if I may be so bold how old are you? I hear age is sometimes a factor on recovery.

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

Lorraine did you also notice any slight visual recovery after your Trab?

[Lorraine-3 in reply to ChrisNorthEast]

Also to add, I was 52 when I had the Op, so not hugely older than you. Recovery was hard in that there are a lot of drops, weekly apppintments and you have to wear the eye shield at night. Having the stitches out wasn’t fun. Overall though, nothing was actually painful and having root canal work on my teeth was far worse!

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

That’s great. Did you notice any slight or mild visual improvement?

[Lorraine-3]

No sorry I didn’t. For me it was about stopping the disease progressing any further, and not about making any improvement. It was a success in that it has been completely stable since the Op, whereas beforehand my eyesight was on a downward trend. It hasn’t actually made the vision better though

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

Thanks for that

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

Where did you have yours done? Did you go private

[Lorraine-3 in reply to ChrisNorthEast]

Hi yes I went private. The lockdown was in full swing at the time and the NHS just wasn’t functioning so I went to Moorfields which is very good, but expensive at about £5k.

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

That’s where I’m going. The private clinic on new cavendish street. Who did your operation? How did you find everything

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to ChrisNorthEast]

Is there any chance I could have a chat with you before my op

[Lorraine-3 in reply to ChrisNorthEast]

Hi I had Winifred Nolan who is completely fabulous. I think all the consultants there are excellent so you are in good hands. I’ve seen a couple for follow up appointments if Winifred Nolan wasn’t available and I’d trust any of them - unlike some of the NHS consultants I saw who were clearly generalists who knew a lot about cataracts etc, but we’re not glaucoma specialists.

The experience was a bit odd because London was in a state of Covid panic and the hospital was only doing emergencies, but they still looked after me. I was nervous, but the Op was painless (quite a long time to lie still - about 45 mins). Within an hour though I was eating a nice lunch and watching tv. Another hour later and I got myself a taxi and travelled on my own so it was really no bother.

The following 2-3 weeks were a trial. The pressure went up and down which was a worry but then it stabilised low. The eye patch, drops and regular appointments were all a bit of a nuisance. I like running and the gym but i gave that up for a month. I had 2 weeks off work but probably could have worked a bit earlier than that if I’d wanted to. Since then I’ve had no problems at all, just 3 or 6 monthly check ups. In fact I don’t have my next check for 9 months as all was well when I went last week.

One thing which does bother me is my eye lid is more dropped on that eye. I may have a small op to get that corrected, but I haven’t decided.

I’m going to Amsterdam to work for the next couple of weeks so I’m not around to chat, sorry.

[ChrisNorthEast in reply to Lorraine-3]

Thanks Lorraine for taking the time to reply. That really reassures me.Kind Regards

[Peg99]

Hi ChrisNorthEast,I have normal tension glaucoma so my eye pressures were not high to start with: they were 21-23. However, I had lost a lot of vision, all of my peripheral vision in fact, before it was even decided that I had glaucoma ( I was 29 with no family history of it so to be fair it wasn't really being looked for).

Trabeculectomies were carried out in both eyes and they managed to get my pressures down to 5 and 6. They stared to rise post ops and diamox and drops were prescribed with the max IOP target being set at 10-12.

37 years later, many changes to drops, increase of diamox along the way, and my IOPs never go above 12 and average out at 7 or 8. Result is that I have kept all of my remaining sight.

I have a few close calls about 3 times a year when my IOPs stay at 10 for a few days and then I change the slow release diamox (2x250mg) to the ordinary tablets (4x250mg) and this has so far done the trick and returned me to IOPs of 7-8. The trabs did not affect my eyesight which in those days was perfect before and post ops. As to recovery, I'm not sure I can be of much help there as my ops were in the days when you stayed in hospital for 5 days to have them done. I remember it wasn't at all painful and the drops post ops weren't bad at all. I was off work for 6 weeks each time though as it took that long for the blurriness to go completely (and I worked in an office so needed to be able to read/write all day). I have no regrets about having them done and would have them repeated any time.

So that's my story in a nutshell and the answer to your question is is a definite yes. Trabs significantly reduced my IOPS and they have stayed in the safety zone and prevented the loss of any more sight ever since - 37years and counting.

Good Luck to you.

[ChrisNorthEast]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. That’s very reassuring. Do you monitor your own pressures? If so what do you use?