During January, we recognize Glaucoma Awareness month by taking a close look at the eye condition. While we addressed what the condition is in our Understanding Glaucoma article and outlined the various kinds in our piece about the Types of Glaucoma, we wanted to ensure that patients had more information.
If you’re wondering what treatment and management options are available for glaucoma, here’s what you need to know.
Glaucoma Treatment and Management
Glaucoma has the ability to cause permanent vision loss, including blindness. Fortunately, several treatment options are available that can reduce fluid levels and the pressure created by the condition.
Getting the right kind of treatment quickly prevents additional vision loss. The fluid and pressure reductions help preserve the optic nerve, making further damage less likely. As a result, your current visual capabilities may remain intact, or the rate of impairment might be significantly reduced, depending on the severity and nature of your condition.
Usually, different management approaches work best in certain situations. Here is a look at standard glaucoma treatment options.
Prescription Eye Drops
Certain prescription eye drops can reduce the pressure in your eye by decreasing the amount of fluid present. Since vision loss relating to glaucoma is caused by rising fluid-related pressure, it’s a practical option for certain patients.
One of the benefits of this glaucoma management strategy is that it’s non-invasive. However, you might need to use the eye drops every day for the rest of your life to ensure the fluid and pressure levels stay in the acceptable range.
Laser Treatment
If eye drops aren’t sufficient for addressing the pressure increases created by the condition, laser treatment is an option for glaucoma patients. It’s more invasive than drops but not as invasive as glaucoma surgery.
The laser treatment allows fluid to drain from the eye more efficiently, reducing the pressure faster than can be achieved with eye drops. At times, laser treatment alone is enough for treating glaucoma for up to five years, though some patients may need to continue using eye drops during that period. The treatment may also be repeatable, giving you a way to extend the effectiveness of this management strategy, though that isn’t always the case.
Surgery
Another option for treatment is glaucoma surgery. This option is more invasive than the alternatives, but it also provides results more quickly, reducing eye pressure far faster than either of the options above.
There are several techniques your eye care provider may consider if glaucoma surgery is deemed the best option. If you need this type of treatment, your eye doctor will discuss the reasoning behind the method they select, ensuring you’re fully aware of why they consider it the best choice.
At ECVA, the safety and health of our patient’s eyes are our priority. If you have signs or symptoms of glaucoma, want to explore a different glaucoma treatment or management strategy, or simply haven’t seen your eye care provider in the past year, we are here to help. Schedule an appointment at your closest ECVA clinic today.
