Glaucoma - Effective Treatments
What kinds of treatments have been effective for your glaucoma?
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What is the treatment for glaucoma?
General approach
Although nerve damage and visual loss from glaucoma cannot usually be reversed, glaucoma is a disease that can generally be controlled. That is, treatment can make the intraocular pressure normal and, therefore, prevent or retard further nerve damage and visual loss. Treatment may involve the use of eyedrops, pills (rarely), laser ,or surgery.
In the United States, eyedrops are usually used first in treating most types of open-angle glaucoma. In contrast, in Europe, laser or surgery is sometimes the first choice of treatment. One or more types of eyedrops may have to be taken up to several times a day to lower intraocular pressure. These drops work either by reducing the production of the aqueous fluid (shutting the faucet) or by increasing the drainage of the fluid out of the eye. Each type of therapy has its benefits and potential complications.
See what others are saying
Hi, I am 55 yrs, old and have been on some kind of eye drops for glaucoma for 20 yrs., I have had the laser 5 times and this last time it did not help. My pressure runs from 23 - 30 but now it is up to 43 in both eyes and eye drops have all been exhausted or I am allergic to them so I am taking Acetazolamide pills (they are water pills) they seem to be working. I figured it out, I was on High blood pressure meds and went off them in January and one of those meds were water pills. Then I remembered my eye pressure went down when I first started the pills. fyi
When I saw an eye doctor for glaucoma the first time he said it had progressed to a point that surgery would be too risky and I could lose my sight completely. I had no symptoms whatsoever. I was sent there by a Walmart doctor who tested me for a new script for glasses. He saw a blood spot on my optic nerve. The doctor he sent me to said it was nothing but that I definitely had glaucoma and had it for a few years. I didn't start having symptoms and losing my sight until I was started on the drops. My eyes are gradually getting worse. I had to stop driving 5 years ago. My brother has glaucoma with pressure of 12 without drops. I think the drops are a useless scam and I will go blind with or without them because using them is not slowing my loss of sight down. It's like cancer. Chemo only cures 2 kinds of cancer using chemo on any other type is just lining the drug companies pockets with big profits. The medical profession is turning into one big ugly scam.
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