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Friday, May 15, 2015

Effective Ways To Treat Glaucoma

By Tammie Caldwell


Glaucoma can be treated with pills, drops, traditional surgery, laser surgery or a combination of these procedures. The goal of any treatment is to prevent loss of vision. The treatment aims to reduce the pressure in the affected eye called intraocular pressure. Any damage to your vision caused by glaucoma cannot be repaired so it is important to get an early diagnosis and treatment or prevent further damage.

Early diagnosis and treatment can lessen or prevent optic nerve damage and limit any related vision loss. It is important to get your eyes examined regularly and make sure that your doctor measures your intraocular pressure. Taking any medication as prescribed is essential to prevent more complications. You have to discuss things with your doctor to prevent further glaucoma San Antonio damage.

It is crucial to take drugs as prescribed especially if you are controlling the pressure of your eye. Since eye drops are absorbed into the bloodstream, tell your physician about certain medications you are taking. Actually, there are some drugs that can be harmful when mixed with other medications. While almost all eye drops may cause uncomfortable burning or stinging feeling at first the discomfort may only last for only a few seconds.

If eyedrops alone do not bring your eye pressure down to the desired level, your physician may prescribe an oral medication in the form of pills to reduce your eye pressure. This medication may cause side effects including frequent urination, depression and kidney stones. You also need to tell your physician about the medications you are presently taking to prevent harmful interactions.

When medications do not achieve the desired results, and show intolerable side effects, your ophthalmologist may recommend you surgery. Laser surgery has become popular as a transitional step between traditional surgery and drugs though the long term success rates are variable. This method is painless and only takes 10 to 15 minutes and can be performed to an outpatient facility.

After the procedure, you may go back home and resume your activities. Your doctor will continue checking your condition especially for your IOP following the surgery. Though it usually takes weeks to determine the positive effects of the method, these times, you may continue taking your medications. Your doctor will determine whether you still need medications or not.

Complications from laser are only minimal which is why this method has become popular and some facilities are recommending the use of laser before drops to some patients. On the other hand, when drugs as well as laser therapies do not lower eye pressure, doctors may recommend a conventional surgical operation.

Some patients may no longer need certain medication for glaucoma following the procedure for a significant length of time, while some are still required to take medication. A trabeculectormy is usually an outpatient method. The number of operative visits vary and activities including heavy lifting, driving, reading and bending are only limited after the procedure.

If you have been diagnosed with this vision problem, your condition will be monitored to check for further damage to your vision. Checkups may depend on how your glaucoma is progressing and require you to have further appointments in San Antonio TX with either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.




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