Glaucoma

Glaucoma treatment is one of the most effective ways of managing and controlling various signs and symptoms that are usually associated with glaucoma. Treatment of glaucoma ranges from surgery to oral drugs such as topical beta blockers which come in the form of betaxolol, leyobunolol and metripranolol, topical prostaglandins that are used as alternative drugs to topical beta blockers, topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and alpha 2 – adrenergics, also known as selective alpha adrenergics. Still other drugs that can be used for treating glaucoma include miotics such as pilocarpine and timolol which were mostly common before introduction of modern oral drugs in the medical industry. Glaucoma treatment can be conducted in two various ways. One is through single medication that involves administration of drugs such as cosopt and timpilo. The other way is by using a combination of various drugs like dorzolamide.

Whenever oral drugs are not effective in treating glaucoma, doctors usually suggest surgery as a form of managing glaucoma symptoms and also preventing further damage to the eye. Two main methods of surgery are used in this case; laser trabeculoplast and filtration surgery. In filtration surgery, standard and advanced surgical tools are used to create an opening in the eye. Excess liquid is then drained from the eye. This treatment works best when used before the eye condition has advanced to complicated levels. In laser trabeculectomy, laser beams are used to burn about 100 small holes in the eye from which excess liquid is drained.

Glaucoma surgery performed as the initial form of treatment and when the disease has not yet reached advanced levels is as effective as oral medication. Actually, most patients that suffered from glaucoma at one point in time reported that they responded better and faster when surgery was performed on them than when they had initially been put on oral medication.

However, this does not mean that oral medication cannot treat glaucoma eye effectively when administered in the right way. Treatment for glaucoma and the dosage that is administered id usually dependent on various factors. Some of these include the age of the patient, the gender, if the patient is a female; whether or not they are pregnant at the time when they are being treated for glaucoma.

For instance, pregnant women are advised to take the lowest dosages possible when treating glaucoma as the oral drugs that they take is usually absorbed into their blood system and used up by the unborn fetus. In addition, the oral drugs for glaucoma have a tendency of increasing blood pressure in the body of a pregnant patient.

In all cases, patients are required to undergo an eye examination that involves inspection of the eye lids, lowering of the pressure in the eyes and draining of the excess fluid that is clogged in the eye. The eyes of the patients may also be subjected eye treatment charts before glaucoma treatment can be administered.