One of the newer types of surgery, a tube shunt, is a flexible glaucoma drainage device that is implanted in the eye to divert aqueous humor (the fluid inside the eye) from the inside of the eye to an external reservoir.
This article is one in a series looking at treatment options for glaucoma. Last month’s “Insights” (March 2014) looked at another type of shunt, the metal ExPRESS device, used in combination with trabeculectomy.
Many people with glaucoma are able to successfully control their symptoms—and prevent vision loss—for years and even decades through the use of prescribed medications. However, if eye drops and other medications prove ineffective, or if the patient can’t tolerate side effects from medications, then the doctor may recommend surgery.