What Are The Treatments For Glaucoma?

The good news is that glaucoma is an eye disease that can be treated. The bad news is that any damage that has already been caused by glaucoma cannot be repaired; it will either stay the same or get worse. The best chance for anyone who contracts this eye disease has is to catch the development early, as treatment for glaucoma is more successful the earlier it is discovered.


Glaucoma is really the term given to four different but similar diseases of the eyes. All of the different types of this disease do basically the same thing; they increase pressure in the eyes. All of the different treatments for this eye disease are aimed at reducing this high-pressure.

This is not to say that pressure in the eyes will always cause this disease, but once glaucoma has developed, the high-pressure will speed up the process. Some of the different treatments of it include eyedrops, medication and surgery. The fact that more and more eye health information is readily available to the public about this disease and the damage that it can do to eyes, means that treatment will be more widespread and successful.

There are three main treatments for glaucoma. Eyedrops are one of the first treatments that doctors will try to use, which function to reduce pressure in the eyes. Eyedrops do this in two ways; one is by trying to lower the amount of fluid the eyes produce, and the other is to try to help the eyes drain.

The medications that are typically used in eyedrops are beta blockers, prostaglandins, alpha-stimulators, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, miotics and epinephrine. If the drops do not work, then the next step would be to try an oral medication. Doctors like to try eyedrops first due to oral medication having a high percentage of side effects in most patients.

Surgery is the last resort and is used if the other two treatments do not work. Glaucoma surgery can be either a traditional type of surgery or laser surgery. No matter which type of eye surgery is used, they both are trying for the same results, which is to lower pressure in the eyes.

Glaucoma is a disease that can be treated if it is caught early, and this should give anybody the incentive to keep up with their eye health. Making regular visits to get eye exams to screen for glaucoma is essential to keeping your eyes healthy. It would be awful to go blind due to a disease that could have been treated if it had been diagnosed early.

By: Michael Selvon

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