Glaucoma Laser Surgery Specialist

Los Angeles Glaucoma Group

Ophthalmologists & Glaucoma Specialists located in Los Angeles, Culver City, CA & Torrance, CA

Many of the treatments for glaucoma are designed to tackle the drainage component of the problem. With glaucoma laser surgery, or laser cyclophotocoagulation, Daniel Krivoy, MD, and the team at Los Angeles Glaucoma Group target the source of the fluid production instead. They offer this treatment to patients in Los Angeles, California, to reduce the intraocular pressure caused by fluid buildup. If you'd like to know more about this treatment, call 310-838-0202.

Glaucoma Laser Surgery Q & A

What is laser cyclophotocoagulation?

While the name of this procedure is a mouthful, its goal is fairly simple: Target the area that produces aqueous humor, the liquid that provides nourishment for your eye. This area is called your ciliary body, which is tucked behind your iris. This ring of tissue not only produces your aqueous humor, but it also houses your ciliary muscle, which contracts to give your lens focusing power.

Your ciliary body produces aqueous humor, which shouldn't be confused with tears. This liquid contains valuable nutrients that support eye function. Once the nutrients are delivered, the fluid passes through your trabecular mesh and heads to your bloodstream.

In treating mild to moderate open-angle glaucoma, our experienced providers look for ways to prevent intraocular pressure, which is caused by poor drainage of your aqueous humor. With laser cyclophotocoagulation, he approaches the problem by addressing the source of the fluid.

How does laser cyclophotocoagulation work?

Using laser technology, our experienced providers target the cells in your ciliary body that produce fluid, altering them, so they produce less.

Before we perform the outpatient procedure, we gives you a local anesthetic for your comfort. We then uses a laser probe or endoscopic equipment to direct the laser energy toward the appropriate area. Because the laser works so fast, we are able to quickly target the cells he needs to and deliver the energy, often taking no more than 15 minutes.

What happens after the procedure?

Once your procedure is over, we put some medicine into your eye and cover it with a patch, so you should arrange for someone to drive you home. You only wear the patch overnight at which point your eye should be fine without it. We will also send you home with medicine for inflammation and pain, if necessary.

In the weeks following your treatment, you should start to notice an improvement as the pressure drops. We closely monitor you during this time to measure the procedure’s efficacy and determine whether another treatment is necessary.

If you’d like to learn more about glaucoma laser surgery, call us or use the online scheduler on this website to book an appointment.

We see patients for Glaucoma, Cataract Surgery, General Ophthalmology, and more. Call Los Angeles Glaucoma Group at our Torrance or Culver City, Ca Location today.