Difficult path to recovery: glaucoma treatment

Glaucoma means eye disease. Its cause is an increase in intraocular pressure. In a healthy person, this indicator is always at the same level, and in case of glaucoma due to a violation of the outflow of fluid it rises. First, a person begins to see worse, then there is a limitation of the zone of visibility, and then there may be complete blindness.

Treatment of glaucoma begins with the diagnosis. First, the doctor must determine the form of the disease. There are two of them: closed-angle and open-angle glaucoma. There is also the concept of "mixed" when there are signs of the two forms listed above. Often the patient does not notice signs of manifestation of the disease, and the process of vision deterioration lasts for years. Glaucoma is a very insidious disease, which is completely incurable.

After setting the exact diagnosis, the ophthalmologist appoints an individual treatment regimen. It depends on the form of the disease, the stage and the presence of concomitant diseases in the patient.

Treatment of glaucoma consists of several stages:

• Drug treatment;
• surgical intervention;
• Treatment with physiotherapy and folk remedies.

How is medication treated with glaucoma?

In general, the treatment of glaucoma is the use of drugs that lower the intraocular pressure. These medications are available in the form of eye drops. These include, for example, drugs "Oftan" or "Timoptic". The technique of instillation of eye drops is simple and easy to master. Medicines are also used to reduce the production of eye secretions. The drug "Diakarb" is the most common of this series. It is taken orally after a meal.

Surgical intervention for glaucoma

Treatment of glaucoma with a laser is to restore a correct and sufficient outflow of fluid in the eye. In the open-angle form of the disease, laser trabeculoplasty is often used. It is worth saying that this method does not have a long-term effect, and patients even after a successful operation apply the drugs further.

More operable is the angle-closure glaucoma. The treatment of this form by surgery is more effective and reliable. Patients with this diagnosis are helped by laser iridotomy. The method consists in laser making a small hole in the eye, which will improve the outflow of moisture from its front chamber.

There is also a method of shunting the eye, which consists in setting the drainage device through a thin incision. However, this method is rather expensive and unsafe, since complications can arise after the operation.

Other treatments

Today, you can find many recipes for the treatment of glaucoma folk remedies. They are applicable only in combination with drug therapy and surgery, but in no way replace them. Treatment of glaucoma should be performed by a specialist at the first signs of the onset of the disease. Do not self-medicate. If the doctor has prescribed physiotherapy, do not refuse, as they are quite effective and safe. Remember that the result of treatment depends only on the timely request for help.