Ophthalmic Surgeon · Panama City
Glaucoma specialist. We care for your eyesight with international training, advanced technology and a personal approach.
Ophthalmology · GlaucomaThe Panama Clinic
Meet your doctor
Dr. Ana Santamaría is a highly qualified ophthalmologist with a specialized focus on glaucoma.
She combines medical experience, international training and advanced technology to deliver effective eye care solutions. Her training and experience support her ability to provide the highest quality care: thorough evaluations, personalized treatment and state-of-the-art technology to preserve your eye health.
Her specialty
Glaucoma is a condition of the optic nerve, the tissue that connects the eye to the brain and carries the visual information that allows us to see.
In glaucoma, the fibers that make up this nerve are damaged, causing a progressive loss of the visual field. Because it produces no symptoms, it reduces vision in patients in whom it was not detected in time.
Early detection and specialized management can stop the disease from progressing and preserve good quality of vision.
Book a glaucoma evaluationEye drops are just one of the tools. As a glaucoma subspecialist, the doctor guides every stage: from detection to surgery, with a plan designed to preserve your vision.
Subspecialty consultation
A consultation dedicated exclusively to glaucoma, with advanced optic nerve testing to detect the disease, measure its progression and choose the best treatment with one goal: preserving your vision.
When drops or laser are not enough, surgery controls pressure and stops the damage. The doctor masters everything from minimally invasive techniques to implants for the most complex cases.
In angle-closure glaucoma, a thickened lens can narrow the angle through which fluid drains from the eye. Removing it and implanting an intraocular lens widens that space, helps control pressure and also improves vision.
Techniques that work on the eye's natural drainage system through millimetric incisions. GATT opens Schlemm's canal over 360° and the Kahook Dual Blade removes a strip of the trabecular meshwork. Faster recovery; they can be combined with cataract surgery.
The benchmark filtering surgery: it creates a new outflow path for intraocular fluid beneath the conjunctiva, achieving major pressure reductions in advanced glaucoma or glaucoma that does not respond to other treatments.
A drainage micro-implant only 8.5 mm long, placed through a small incision, that channels fluid into a reservoir beneath the conjunctiva. It lowers pressure significantly with a less invasive procedure than traditional filtering surgery.
Implants with a small tube and plate placed on the wall of the eye to drain fluid in a controlled way. Indicated for complex or secondary glaucoma —such as neovascular or inflammatory— or eyes with previous surgery.
Glaucoma laser
Low-energy laser applied to the trabecular meshwork to improve the eye's natural drainage. It takes minutes, with no incisions, and can reduce or delay the need for eye drops.
A tiny opening in the edge of the iris that lets fluid flow and the angle open. It prevents and treats angle closure.
The laser is applied through the wall of the eye to the ciliary body, the structure that produces intraocular fluid, to reduce its production. Useful in advanced or refractory glaucoma.
There is no single glaucoma. Identifying the exact type defines the right treatment.
The most common type. The eye's drainage slowly becomes less efficient and pressure rises without symptoms: that is why early detection is key.
The iris blocks the drainage angle. It can progress silently or appear as an acute attack with pain, red eye and blurred vision, which is an emergency.
Book a glaucoma subspecialty consultation and get a clear plan to protect your vision.
Services
From a preventive check-up to minimally invasive surgery: every patient receives a plan designed for their case.
General and glaucoma-specialized care for the diagnosis and follow-up of eye diseases.
Modern solutions such as SLT, iridotomy and iridoplasty to improve the control of glaucoma and other conditions.
Surgical procedures for cataracts, glaucoma and minimally invasive techniques such as GATT, Kahook or PRESERFLO.
Prompt response for eye conditions that require immediate attention.
A complete range of services for comprehensive eye care. Tap each one to learn more.
A complete eye health exam including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment and fundus examination. It allows eye diseases to be detected early, even before symptoms appear.
We assess myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia (age-related near vision loss), offering personalized recommendations to improve your vision with glasses or other vision correction alternatives.
We assess the presence and progression of cataracts, a gradual loss of transparency of the lens that reduces vision. We guide our patients on treatment options and the right time to consider surgery.
Targeted evaluations to identify glaucoma, a disease that can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve. By measuring intraocular pressure, evaluating the optic nerve and using specialized diagnostic tests, we aim to detect the disease early and prevent vision loss.
We assess and treat dry eye symptoms such as burning, a gritty sensation, redness, tearing and fluctuating vision, with individualized treatments to improve tear film stability and eye comfort.
We treat conjunctivitis, blepharitis, eye allergies, styes, chalazion and other eyelid and ocular surface conditions, with specific treatment according to the cause and severity of each condition.
We examine the retina, macula, blood vessels and optic nerve. This exam identifies changes that may affect vision and determines whether further tests or specialized evaluation are needed.
Eye check-ups for patients with systemic diseases that can affect eye health, aiming to detect complications such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular changes and other related eye conditions early.
We see patients with blurred vision, eye pain, redness, light sensitivity, tearing, persistent discomfort and changes in vision, identifying the possible causes and providing treatment or the appropriate specialist referral.
We evaluate eye problems that need prompt attention, such as foreign bodies, trauma, ocular surface injuries, infections and sudden vision loss, to determine initial management and the need for immediate specialized care.
We encourage regular eye exams, especially for people over 40, patients with a family history of eye disease and people with risk factors. Prevention and early diagnosis are key to preserving vision in the long term.
It is the medical specialty dedicated to diseases of the eye and its associated structures, such as the eye muscles, tear system and eyelids. Ophthalmology also has subspecialties: Dr. Ana Santamaría specializes in glaucoma.
Treatments
Not every case needs surgery. When it does, the most modern and safest techniques are used.
Surgery focuses on correcting or halting eye diseases that cannot be resolved with medication alone. Some procedures, such as cataract and glaucoma surgery, can even be performed together using advanced, minimally invasive techniques.
Consultations provide a personalized clinical evaluation for every patient, whether they have mild discomfort, signs of eye disease or need a specialist second opinion. Not every case needs surgery: many conditions can be controlled with medication or simply clinical follow-up.
Outpatient treatments that use laser technology to improve eye drainage, treat glaucoma, clear clouded intraocular lenses or prevent complications. They generally require no incisions or hospital stay.
Professional training
Panama, Mexico and Scotland: an academic path that backs every diagnosis and every surgery.
Instituto de Oftalmología Conde de Valenciana
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Master of Surgery
University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid
University of Panama
Medical degree
Latin University of Panama
“Caring for your eyesight is caring for the way you experience the world.”
Hours and location
New location: Tower A, 11th floor, office 1103.
Tower A, 11th floor, office 1103
Calle Ramón H. Jurado, Pacific Center, Panama City
Monday to Friday · 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
+507 310-2453 · office
+507 6745-0755 · mobile and WhatsApp
Eye emergency?
Foreign bodies, eye injuries, severe pain, red eye with vision loss or sudden loss of vision: contact us right away by WhatsApp or phone.
Choose the day and time you prefer in the online schedule. You will receive the confirmation by email.
