This month patients asked: “Is there a cure for glaucoma?”
Dr. Patel answered:
Glaucoma is a condition that involves gradual damage of the optic nerve over time due to many factors, but one main factor can be increased eye pressure. Increased eye pressure can slowly cause the nerve fibers that send the information from the eye to the brain to become damaged and dropout. Currently, there is no cure for glaucoma, however there are many treatment options can than slow disease progression. The mainstay of treatment is to decrease eye pressure to prevent continued optic nerve damage.
The first point to note is that glaucoma can be virtually a silent eye disease until approximately 50% of the nerve is damaged. The key is to initiate treatment as early as possible, especially when no symptoms are present, if possible. When symptoms of vision loss occurs, they usually involve loss of peripheral vision. Once vision is lost, there is no replacing it, unfortunately.
But early treatment has shown to payoff.
Treatment includes:
Medications
These prescription eye drops aim to lower eye pressure by either decreasing the production of fluid, or increasing the rate of fluid drainage.
Laser Trabeculoplasty
This treatment is often used in combination with medications. The laser is used to increase the drainage of fluid and thus reduce eye pressure.
Conventional Surgery
A drainage pathway is created to allow fluid to flow out of the eye and lower eye pressure.
A combination of any of these can also be used to slow the progress of the disease. The principle point is to be proactive in the management of your glaucoma and openly discuss your condition and its status at your appointments.
