Moving on to surgical stage of glaucoma treatment

Abstract

Making a decision about the need for surgical intervention in glaucoma patients is not easy, and the rationale for it involves a balanced approach based on numerous objective, as well as, unfortunately, subjective factors. Therapeutic approaches in modern glaucomatology have temporarily, and as it seems, for quite some time, have shifted towards active observational therapeutic strategy, which brought negative results expressed in deteriorating outcomes of surgical treatment. At the same time, it is obvious that not all indications for surgical treatment have the same "weight", which also determines the need for a differentiated approach. The discussion about the decisionmaking time for transition to surgical tactics of glaucoma treatment has been repeatedly discussed, is being discussed, and will continue to be discussed in the professional circles, with new arguments arising due to clarification of the pathophysiology of glaucomatous optic neuropathy, active use of interdisciplinary approaches, emergence of new tools, devices and technologies, coupled with improvement of surgical skills, increase in the life expectancy of the population, as well as the need for rational assessment of socio-economic resources of the state and the individual. This review describes the generalized experience and the authors' own point of view on this problem.