Glaucoma is an eye disease that impairs the optic nerve. It causes vision loss and, eventually, blindness. Generally, glaucoma has no symptoms. It can be confirmed only by a comprehensive dilated eye exam performed by an ophthalmologist.
So, what is glaucoma treatment?
What are the Treatments for Glaucoma?
A person diagnosed with this disease should seek glaucoma therapy right away. While the damage to vision cannot be undone, timely treatment can prevent it from worsening.
Doctors use different types of treatments for glaucoma. They include medicines, laser treatment, and surgery. Prescription drops are generally used for treating glaucoma. How do these drops work? By lowering the eye pressure. They can also lessen damage to the optic nerve. However, keep in mind that these drops cannot cure glaucoma. Even the loss of vision that has already occurred cannot be reversed. However, they can ensure further damage from glaucoma does not happen.
Another treatment for glaucoma is laser surgery. What does laser do? It drains the fluid in your eye, which helps reduce the eye pressure. The type of laser depends on the type of glaucoma. For open-angle glaucoma, we have a trabeculoplasty laser. Only your doctor can tell which laser is the proper treatment for you.
Another glaucoma treatment involves surgery. Your doctor may prescribe surgery depending on your situation and the effectiveness of medicines and lasers. The purpose is the same as of a laser; to drain the fluid. Surgery, too, is of different types. In case you have mild glaucoma, your doctor may opt for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). Glaucoma implant surgery is used to treat congenital glaucoma, glaucoma caused by injury, and neovascular glaucoma.
Conclusion
Glaucoma is an eye disease that impairs the optic nerve. It has no symptoms as such. It is important to initiate glaucoma therapy immediately after being diagnosed with the disease. Glaucoma treatment generally involves a combination of medicines, laser surgery, and surgery. Since such diseases do not have any symptoms and can occur suddenly, it is wise to invest in health insurance.