Trabeculoplasty

Trabeculoplasty (pronunciation: tra-beck-you-low-plas-tee) is a laser treatment used to improve the flow of aqueous humor in the eye to treat glaucoma.

Etymology

The term "trabeculoplasty" is derived from the Latin word "trabecula", meaning "small beam", and the Greek word "plasty", meaning "molding or formation".

Procedure

During a trabeculoplasty, a laser is used to create small burns in the trabecular meshwork of the eye. This helps to increase the outflow of aqueous humor, thereby reducing intraocular pressure and helping to control glaucoma.

Types

There are two main types of trabeculoplasty: Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT) and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT). ALT was the first type of trabeculoplasty developed, but SLT is now more commonly used as it causes less damage to the trabecular meshwork.

Related Terms

Glaucoma: A group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, often caused by an abnormally high pressure in your eye.
Intraocular pressure (IOP): The fluid pressure inside the eye.
Aqueous humor: The clear fluid filling the space in the front of the eyeball between the lens and the cornea.
Trabecular meshwork: A network of tiny channels through which the aqueous humor flows out of the eye.

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Trabeculoplasty
Wikipedia's article - Trabeculoplasty

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Trabeculoplasty