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QUESTION:
Dear Ana, thank you for your email. My name is ******. I’m from Indonesia. I’m 40 year old. I found Dr. Richardson website just one day before my trabeculectomy operation. I have canceled the operation and want to find out whether canaloplasty suitable for me.
I have my LASIK in both eyes in January 2010. Before have LASIK my eyes are -5 ( right eye ) and -7 (left eye). The doctor saw my high IOP in both eyes and retinal tears in my right eye. The IOP was at high twenties. After have glaoplus (local name for xalacom), my IOP was stable at 10 – 12. And after retinal laser, my retinal tears problem in the right eye is solved.
Several months after LASIK, my IOP started to elevated again to high twenties. My Doctor who is glaucoma specialist gave me xalacom 1 drop per day in both eye, and my IOP stable at 9 – 11. It lasted for 1 year, when my doctor told me that my high IOP controllable and he will reduce the dose. And suddenly my doctor ask me to stop using xalacom and change to alphagan 3 times drop a day. After using alphagan, I feel pain in my eyes and my IOP rose to high twenties. My Doctor gave me alphagan and azopt, both 3 times a day, no improvement. My Doctor gave me alphagan, azopt and xalacom, still no improvement at all. Quite strange, because previously xalacom worked well to my eyes. My docter gave me alphagan, azopt and duotrav, and it worsening. At that time my IOP rose to high thirties to low forties. After that my doctor recomend laser therapy for my eyes, but I refused.
I switch to other glaucoma specialist, the same cycle is happened again. I started with timolol, glaoplus (local name for xalacom), alphagan, azopt, and at the end my second doctor recommend me for trabeculectomy. I refused. My IOP was still at high thirties and low fourties.
Without advice from doctor, I tried phylocarpine 1%. I worked well, especially for my right eye. The IOP for the right eye could drop to 15. But it seem not affected my left eye. My left eye IOP was still high twenties to low thirties. I can only use phylocarpine at night before sleep. If I use at the other time the result is not that good.
Six month ago I diagnosed hyperthiroid, and still in medication right now. Quite interesting, during early period of hyperthiroid, my eyes improved very very well, even without eye drop. But after got hyperthiroid medicine, my eyes condition back to pre hyperthiroid condition.
I switch to the third glaucoma specialist, and she recommend me iridotomy. Before take the iridotomy I use brimodine (similar to alphagan) 2 times a day and glaucon (local brand for diamox) three time a day. At the iridotomy day, my IOP was quite good, 12 for right eye and 15 for the left eye.
After iridotomy, the IOP rose to mid thirties and low forties. The glaucoma specialist recommend me for trabeculectomy. I try using pylocarpine (which previously succes to bring down my IOP to fifteen), but this time was unsuccessful. My IOP is still high thirties to low forties. I am tired, hopeless and agree to have trabeculectomy.
As I said before, I found Dr. Richardson website, and wondering if it suitable for me. I quite rational, the broken nerve cannot be repaired and I do not expect my vision back to normal. I just want to maintain my current optical nerves at lowest risk possible, which I expect from canaloplasty.
You can find my humprey test as attached.
I also cc my email to my sister. My sister already has US visa, but I still don’t have it and try to get it.
While waiting for my US visa, do you have slot for canaloplasty, let say in January 2015?
Btw, my phone number is ******. But because of my english is not that fluent, I prefer using email, because I can think before talk to you.
Thank you
ANSWER:
Hello ******,
Ana forwarded your email to me. I would be happy to evaluate you and (if you are a candidate) we could schedule canaloplasty for January 2015. If you think this is something you would like to pursue please let Ana know so that she can block out some time for your possible surgery.
Without examining your eyes I cannot determine whether you are, indeed, a candidate for canaloplasty. If your angles are open then canaloplasty can be expected to achieve adequate IOP lowering about 85% of the time[1] .
I am concerned, however, that another doctor recommended peripheral iridotomy (PI). This is generally only recommended with narrow angles or pigment dispersion syndrome. If your angles are narrow then canaloplasty alone would not be indicated (though it might be reasonable at the time of cataract surgery). If the reason for laser PI was pigment dispersion then canaloplasty could be a reasonable surgical treatment option.
Hoping this was helpful.
Warm regards,
David Richardson, MD
Patient-Focused Ophthalmologist
San Marino Eye
2020 Huntington Drive
San Marino, CA 91108
626.289.7856
Patient-Focused Websites:
New-Glaucoma-Treatments.com
About-Eyes.com
[1] Lewis RA, von Wolff K, Tetz M, et al. Canaloplasty: Three-year results of circumferential viscodilation and tensioning of Schlemm canal using a microcatheter to treat open-angle glaucoma. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011;37(4):682-90.
Bull H, von Wolff K, Korber N, Tetz M. Three-year canaloplasty outcomes for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma: European study results. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011;249(10):1537-45.
Brusini P. Canaloplasty in open-angle glaucoma surgery: a four-year follow-up. ScientificWorldJournal. 2014;2014:469609.
Date: Friday, December 26, 2014 10:47 PM
Posted in: Canaloplasty, Canaloplasty and Medications, Canaloplasty and Other Surgeries, Canaloplasty and Recovery, Canaloplasty Safety and Efficacy, What Is Canaloplasty?
