??? on laser for glaucoma

We had a very different experience with laser surgery for Louella, our late hound. She developed glaucoma at about age 9, and we did the laser surgery. She had useful vision in that eye for about two and a half years afterward, when she developed a cataract, a side effect of the laser. After that, she had some vision, but it was probably minimal. It stayed that way until she died at about 13. It has been a while now, but the only long term side effect I recall from the meds after the laser was drinking a lot of water, and we eventually only had her pressure checked occasionally, after they were sure it had stabilized (wish I could be more precise--it's been a while--but I don't recall the rechecks being a big burden--I think they eventually were down to about every four months--maybe every six months). We probably had it done about 8 years ago now, by a veterinary opthamologist I think a lot of. I'd try it again in a a heartbeat if one of my dogs developed glaucoma. If you are anywhere near the San Francisco Bay Area, let me know, and I'll send you the name of the practice.

[ September 14, 2005, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: S. Hall ]

Sharon, your Louella is the first experience I have heard of where glucoma didn't develop in the other eye, laser or no laser. Might she have had a secondary glucoma which can be unilateral?

I fortunately haven't had a dog with glaucoma but did have a friend who's dachshund had it. He went through all the treatments available and then I remember bring him to the ophthalmologist for his post op check up following removal of both prosthesis (or is it prosthesi?)because those also caused him too much pain and discomfort.
His owner had a much harder time dealing with it than little "One Putt." All the bassets I have known with glaucoma ended up having both eyes removed. Oh yes did hear of one or two where the eyes were injected with gentamicin to destroy eye tissue.

I've thought a lot about what I would do if I had a dog with glaucoma and I'm almost certain I wouldn't have the laser surgery done. Of course I would talk to my regular vet in addition to the specialist. I guess I think pain and discomfort would be worse for one of my dogs than blindness.

Sorry you are in that position where you have to make such a decision Beverly Anne. We're here for you every step of the way.

[ September 14, 2005, 08:49 PM: Message edited by: Barbara Winters ]

Barbara,
Almost three years to the day that the first glaucoma showed its ugly face in her left eye, Louie developed glaucoma in her right eye. I didn't go into that in my original post because we did not do laser surgery on the right eye. It was controlled by medication until we lost her to congestive heart failure, when she was a little short of 13 years. She probably had glaucoma in the right eye for about 3-6 months before she died. I don't know if it made a difference, but I think I caught the second occurence of glaucoma the very night it happened, and had an emergency kit that the vet had given me, and used it immediately until we could get her in the next morning at 6 am.
The veterinary opthamologist had us treat the right eye with glaucoma meds as soon as the glaucoma in the left eye occurred. So that may have delayed the occurence of the disease in the right eye.
As I said, I was really impressed with the opthamologist, and perhaps we really lucked out because we had such quality care.