Can You Treat Glaucoma After Diagnosis?

Glaucoma is a common age-related eye condition. It’s one of the leading causes of blindness in adults who are sixty and older. 

One of the tricky things about glaucoma is that it doesn’t show any symptoms until you start experiencing vision loss. This vision loss is almost always due to high intraocular pressure (IOP). 

Having increased IOP puts strain on your optic nerve and eventually damages it. The worse the damage becomes, the more sight you lose as your optic nerve is vital to see.

If you suffer any damage to your optic nerve, it’s irreversible. Any vision loss due to glaucoma is permanent and can’t come back. 

The best way to save your vision from glaucoma is to have regular eye exams. If you have glaucoma, regular eye exams can help lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment. 

You can’t repair the damage glaucoma causes, but you can treat it and manage it to slow down and prevent further damage. Keep reading to find out how to treat glaucoma after diagnosis!

Medication

Eye drops are the most common form of glaucoma medication. Taking the drops regularly should help lower your intraocular pressure. 

High IOP is usually the result of fluid build-up in the eye, so these medications help reduce fluids getting stuck. Some of these medications use chemicals like prostaglandin, which increases fluid flow out of the eye. 

Some use various inhibitors that suppress the production of fluid. You can also administer beta-blockers in the form of eye drops. 

If eye drops aren’t helping, your eye doctor may recommend oral medication. The most common medication given orally is carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, which reduce fluid production in the eye.

Surgery

If medication isn’t effective on its own, you may need to undergo surgery. Various procedures help treat glaucoma. 

Like glaucoma medication, these techniques all aim at lowering your IOP. They include:

Trabeculectomy

A trabeculectomy involves creating an opening through the sclera. The sclera is the white part of the eye. The opening in the sclera helps fluid drain more easily through the trabecular meshwork, which is the porous tissue that surrounds your eye and can get blocked, causing high IOP. 

Trabeculoplasty 

A trabeculoplasty uses a laser on the trabecular meshwork to increase drainage through the tissue.

Drainage Devices

Various tubes or shunts can be implanted in the eye to help fluid drain through them.

MIGS

MIGS stands for Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery. These techniques are based on the procedures above but are less invasive as they use smaller devices or fewer incisions. 

Many patients prefer these surgeries as recovery can be faster, but they’re only effective for mild glaucoma. Severe cases often require traditional surgery.

Your Unique Treatment Plan 

No two glaucoma patients are alike. What you need may be different than someone else who has glaucoma. 

Your eye doctor will work with you to determine what treatment or combination of treatments is best for you and your needs. There is no cure for glaucoma, but you can manage it. 

These treatments may save your vision for years to come. But remember, vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible. 

The only way to prevent vision loss is through early detection and treatment. Ensure you see your eye doctor regularly for eye exams, especially if you’re over 50.

Have concerns about glaucoma? Schedule an appointment at Berg Feinfield Vision Correction in Beverly Hills, CA, now!