Treatment Options for Managing Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that harm the optic nerve. Your optic nerve plays a significant role in ensuring vision and in sending visual information to the brain from your eyes. You can develop permanent blindness or vision loss when your glaucoma remains untreated.

Treatments help manage or slow the condition from worsening. However, it is not possible to restore vision that is already lost. Read on to learn more about glaucoma treatment options.

Eye Drops

You can manage glaucoma by using eye drops. Using them every day reduces the pressure inside the eye and the rate of production of aqueous humor, the fluid in the eye. It also increases its drainage rate. Your eye doctor will examine your condition to determine your needs to give you the ideal eye drops for treatment.

Your eye medic can prescribe treatment through oral medication if eye pressure does not reduce with eye drops. Ensure you consult your ophthalmologist before you stop using your eye drops or change to any other drug.

Laser Treatment

Your doctor may recommend treatment using a laser if the use of eye drops is not effective in improving your glaucoma symptoms. Laser treatment entails aiming a high-energy light beam carefully at a part of the eye. The therapy helps stop the building up of fluid in the affected eye.

Types of Glaucoma Laser Treatments

• Laser iridotomy - Fluid drains out of your eye once the laser makes holes in the iris.

• Cyclodiode laser treatment - Eye pressure reduces in your eye once the eye tissue that produces fluid is destroyed by the laser beam.

• Laser trabeculoplasty - Eye pressure reduces, and more fluid drains out the eye once the laser beam opens the eye’s drainage tubes.

Surgery

Your eye doctor can advise on surgery if laser therapy or eyedrops do not help with glaucoma management. However, it happens in rare cases. The most common glaucoma surgery is trabeculectomy. The procedure involves the removal of part of the drainage tubes in your eyes. Doing so helps allow the easier drainage of fluid.

Types of Surgeries for Glaucoma

Your eye specialist will talk to you about the ideal type of surgery for your condition. They will also inform you about the benefits and risks to help you decide if you will proceed with the procedure.

There are different types of surgeries for glaucoma:
 

• Trabeculectomy - It removes part of the drainage tubes of the eyes using an electric current.

• Trabecular stent bypass - Increases liquid drainage in the eyes by using a small tube. Your surgeon can do so by placing a small device inside the tubes in the eyes.

• Deep sclerectomy - Widens the eye drainage tubes.

• Viscocanalostomy - Removes part of the sclera, the white part of the eyes that covers your eyeball. Doing so helps drain out the fluid.

Your treated eye might become red and watery after the surgical procedure. You may also experience blurry vision for up to six weeks. However, it should become normal after that.

Your eye doctor will talk to you about what to do and not do during recovery. Most times, patients should avoid heavy lifting, reading, and driving for a week after surgery. You will also need to keep your eyes dry.

For more about managing glaucoma, visit Patterson Optometric Eyecare at our office in Burney, California. Call (530) 335-2233 to book an appointment today.