A trabeculectomy with mitomycin C is a 45–60 minute day-case operation that creates a new drainage channel to lower the pressure inside the eye and protect the optic nerve from glaucoma. Mitomycin C is applied during surgery to prevent scarring, giving the most durable pressure control of any glaucoma procedure. At our partner clinics it starts from £4,800 per eye, all-inclusive, with treatment usually within a few weeks of your consultation.
What is a trabeculectomy?
A trabeculectomy is the long-established “gold standard” glaucoma filtration operation. The surgeon creates a tiny guarded channel under a partial-thickness scleral flap so that excess fluid (aqueous humour) can drain out of the eye into a small reservoir under the upper eyelid, called a bleb. This lowers the pressure inside the eye and protects the optic nerve from further glaucoma damage. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible sight loss, and lowering eye pressure is the only proven way to slow it.
Mitomycin C is applied during the operation to reduce scarring around the new drainage pathway — the main reason filtration surgery can fail — which markedly improves the chance of long-term pressure control. Learn more about the glaucoma condition and how it is monitored.
Pressure not controlled on drops? A consultant assessment with visual fields and OCT confirms whether filtration surgery is right for you.
Book a glaucoma assessmentWhere trabeculectomy fits among glaucoma procedures
Your consultant will match the procedure to how advanced your glaucoma is and how low your pressure needs to go. The main private options are:
Other bleb-forming options include the PreserFlo MicroShunt and the XEN gel stent, which work on the same drainage principle with a smaller incision.
What happens during the operation
Trabeculectomy is a day-case operation lasting about 45–60 minutes, usually under local anaesthetic with the eye numbed so you feel no pain, with optional sedation to help you relax.
- The eye and surrounding skin are cleaned and a lid holder keeps the eye gently open.
- A small flap is fashioned in the sclera (the white of the eye) beneath the upper eyelid.
- Mitomycin C is applied on a sponge for a couple of minutes, then thoroughly rinsed away.
- A tiny opening is made under the flap so aqueous can filter out, and the flap is secured with adjustable sutures.
- The conjunctiva is closed to form the drainage bleb, and the eye is shielded before you go home.
Recovery week-by-week
Trabeculectomy needs a little patience: the pressure is fine-tuned over the first weeks, so close follow-up matters.
Day of surgery
Eye shielded, vision blurred. Steroid and antibiotic drops begin. No driving or heavy lifting.
Week 1
First reviews. The surgeon may release a suture or adjust drops to set the ideal pressure. Grittiness and watering are normal.
Weeks 2–4
Vision steadily improves. Possible laser suture lysis or gentle bleb needling to optimise drainage.
1–3 months
The bleb matures and pressure stabilises. Steroid drops are slowly tapered. Most normal activity resumes.
Trabeculectomy cost
Our trabeculectomy pricing is all-inclusive: consultant surgeon, theatre and anaesthetic, the procedure with mitomycin C, and your post-operative reviews.
- Self-pay: from £4,800 per eye.
- Consultation: typically £200–£350 with visual fields and OCT, often redeemable against treatment.
- Insurance: recognised by Bupa, AXA, Aviva, Vitality, Cigna and WPA — we handle authorisation.
For a full comparison across laser, MIGS, filtration and tube surgery, see our glaucoma surgery cost guide.