The Ins and Outs of Glaucoma Treatment
A glaucoma diagnosis does not need to be scary if you adhere to a proper glaucoma treatment regimen prescribed by your eye doctor. However, a late glaucoma diagnosis can be tricky, so make sure you get regular eye exams! Not all eye ailments will have noticeable symptoms, at least at first — glaucoma is one of those diseases. Here’s what you need to know about this disease, and what a glaucoma treatment regimen may look like for you.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the result of optic nerve damage in the eye. It’s a slow, gradual, debilitating disease that, if left unchecked, can cause real, lasting damage to your vision. It’s more common than you may expect — more than three million Americans are living with glaucoma today, account for more than 10 million visits to physicians each year, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. The Foundation also says that glaucoma accounts for about 9 to 12 percent of all cases of blindness.
But fear not! There are many avenues to proper glaucoma treatment. While there is no cure, there are plenty of glaucoma treatments that, if diagnosed and managed early enough, will allow you to live a perfectly normal life. Always consult your eyecare professional for any questions you have about a diagnosis like this!
What are some glaucoma treatments?
Glaucoma eyedrops are one of the more common glaucoma treatments. Common examples include Rhopressa, Rocklatan, Lumigan, Cosopt, and Alphagan P, among others. Fun fact — all of the aforementioned eyedrop bottles are compatible with the Nanodropper Adaptor. If you or a loved one was prescribed a glaucoma eyedrop not listed above, click here to see if your bottle is compatible with Nanodropper (pro tip – be sure to note the manufacturer. For example, certain manufacturers of Latanoprost bottles are compatible with Nanodropper, but others are not).
For more severe cases of mid-to-late stage glaucoma, surgery can be a consideration. Select laser trabeculoplasty, or SLT surgery, is used to apply laser hear to the trabecular meshwork of the eye (a web of tissues in the back of the eye), which helps alleviate eye pressure. It’s a common procedure that’s been in use for decades. Click here to read more about SLT surgery.
As always, be sure to consult your eyecare professional for information about a glaucoma diagnosis, what treatment is right for you, and how to properly adhere to those treatments!
