How to Cure Glaucoma
Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness, is a group of conditions rather than one disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. It involves optical nerve damage, often caused by high pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma cannot be completely cured, nor can the damage it causes be reversed. Yet, there is treatment to prevent the condition from progressing. A key in controlling glaucoma is early prevention.
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Instructions
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Keep regular eye checkups, which include glaucoma screening. Early detection can enable your doctor to begin glaucoma treatment before permanent damage is done to your sight.
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Use prescription eye drops. Medicated eye drops are commonly used to control the progression of glaucoma. They must be taken exactly as prescribed. Eye drop medications vary and can include beta blockers, alpha-agonists, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, prostaglandin-like compounds, miotic or cholinergic agents and epinephrine compounds.
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Take oral prescription medications, such as acetazolamide or methazolamide. Neuroprotective drugs might also be prescribed, such as brimonidine and memantine. These are used to prevent optic nerve damage.
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Undergo laser surgery to reduce the lower intraocular pressure. This procedure can take less than a half an hour and can be performed in the doctor's office. After successful surgery, a patient might be able to discontinue his eye drops.
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Consider filtering surgery if eye drops and laser surgery are not controlling the condition. Done in a hospital, an opening is created in the white of the eye to remove a portion of the trabecular meshwork to allow your eye to relieve pressure.
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Install drainage implants by undergoing drainage implant surgery. During this procedure, a tube is implanted in the eye to assist in drainage.
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References
- Photo Credit A. Johnson
