Glaucoma Drainage Devices

Glaucoma drainage devices are increasingly used as the primary surgical treatment of glaucoma (damage to the optic nerve due). They may also be used to attain desirable intraocular pressure control by increasing the outflow of fluid from your eye, when other medical therapy and laser surgeries fail or cannot be performed.

In glaucoma drainage device surgery, the device is placed outside the eye – toward the back, under the conjunctiva (outermost layer of tissue). A small tube or filament is inserted into either the front chamber or back chamber of the eye, just in front of the iris (coloured part of the eye), where fluid builds up. Drainage of fluid takes place through the tube or filament into the back end of the device where it collects and is reabsorbed.

As with all surgical procedures, you may experience complications including inflammatory reaction, clogging, scarring, and corneal injury due to the mechanical contact between the tube and the tissues of the eye.