The term Trabeculectomy refers to making a hole in the drainage area of the eye, to allow fluid from inside the eye to be released, thereby lowering the intraocular pressure.

Trabeculectomy is performed as Day Surgery and does not require overnight admission. It is necessary to stop aspirin, warfarin, anti-inflammatories, fish oil or any other blood thinning medications 10 days prior to surgery. General or Local anaesthesia with sedation is used. General anaesthesia is preferred for certain patient indications. The procedure takes one to one and a half hours, depending on the complexity of the glaucoma.

The aim of the surgery is to create a one-way flap valve from the inside of the eye to under the conjunctiva of the eye. The fluid subsequently passes from this small reservoir (bleb) back into the blood vessels of the conjunctiva. During the operation, anti-scarring agents such as Mitomycin C are used to optimize the long-term drainage of the fluid from the eye.