Glaucoma Treatment
Could Save Your Eyesight
The good news is that with a good
Glaucoma Treatment Glaucoma can be controlled.
The bad news is Glaucoma can’t be cured, and the damage caused by the Eye Disease can’t be reversed.
Eye drops, oral glaucoma medication
and glaucoma surgery
are used to prevent or slow further damage.
If you have glaucoma, you’ll need to continue treatment for the rest of your life.
Because the disease can progress or change without you’re being aware of it, your glaucoma treatment may need to be changed over time.
Regular checkups and adherence to you glaucoma treatment may seem burdensome, but they’re essential to prevent Loss of Vision.
Preventing further damage to the optic nerve and continued lose of the
visual field
may be accomplished by keeping your eye pressure under control.
Your eye doctor may focus on lowering your IOP to a level that’s unlikely to cause further optic nerve damage.
This level is often referred to as the target pressure and will probably be a range rather than a single number.
Target pressure differs for each person, depending on the extent of the damage and other factors.
Your target pressure may change over the course of your lifetime.
Remember nothing beats a healthy diet with the right balance of Vitamins and Minerals when it comes to preventing an Vision Problem
Eye drops for Glaucoma Treatment:
Your doctor may prescribe more than one type of eye drop.
If you are using more that one, wait 5 to 10 minutes between applications.
Eye drop Types include:
Beta Blockers
- Function:
reduce the production of aqueous humor.
Drug names: Levobunolol (Betagan), Timolol (Timoptic, Betimol), carteolol (Ocupress), betaxolol (Betoptic), metipranolol (Optipranolol).
- Possible side effects:
Difficulty breathing slowed pulse, hair loss, decreased blood pressure, impotence, fatigue, weakness, depression and memory loss, If you have asthma, bronchitis or emphysema, or if you have diebetes and use insulin, beta blockers shouldn’t be used unless no alternative is possible, and then only with great care.
Alpha-adrenergle agent
- Function:
Reduce the production of aqueous humor.
Drug names: Apraclonidine (Iopidine), brimonidine (Alphagan)
- Possible side effects:
Increased blood pressure, tremors, headache, anxiety, red and itchy eyes, dry mouth and allergic reactions.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
- Function:
Reduce the amount of aqueous humor.
- Drug name:
Dorzolamide (Trusopt).
- Possible side effects:
A bad taste in the mouth, trequent urination and a tingling sensation in the fingers and the toes are common when a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor is taken orally but rare when it is take as drops. If you’re allergic to sulfa drugs, this type of education shouldn’t be used unless no alternative is possible, and then only with great care.
Prostaglandin analogues
- Function:
Increase the outflow of aqueous humor. This hormone like substances may be used in conjunction with a drug that reduces production of aqueous humor.
- Drug name:
Latanoprost (Xalatan).
- Possible side effects:
Mild reddening and stinging of the eye and darkening of the iris and the eyelid skin.
Prostamides
- Function:
Increase the outflow of aqueous humor.
- Drug name:
Bimatoprost (Lumigan).
- Possible side effects:
Mild to moderate reddening of the eyes and eyelash growth.
Miotics (rarely used today)
- Function:
Increase the outflow of aqueous humor.
- Drug names:
- Pilocarpine (Isopto Carpine, Pilocar, others).
- Possible side effects:
Pain around or inside the eyes, brow ache, blurred or dim vision, nearsightedness, allergic reaction, a stuffy nose, sweating, increased salivation and occasional digestive problems.
Epinephrine compounds (rarely used today)
- Function:
Increase the outflow of aqueous humor.
- Drug name:
Epinephrine (Epifrin, Eppy / N)
- Possible side effects:
Red Eyes, allergic reactions, palpitations, high blood pressure, headache and anxiety.
Remember a good glaucoma treatment is to have regular Eye Care Exams.
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