Treatment for glaucoma

There's no cure for glaucoma, but there are ways to control it. And because the vision loss it causes is irreversible, you'll want to make sure the glaucoma is caught early on and monitored for the rest of the life of the person you're caring for.

Treatment options include medication like eyedrops or pills to control eye pressure (by slowing or improving the drainage of fluid, for example), laser treatment, or surgery.

Chronic glaucoma, in particular, responds well to medication. But some of these drugs have many possible side effects, so talk with the eye doctor and make sure the patient knows what to expect and what to report to the doctor after he starts taking the medication. Also, sometimes a prescription dosage will need to be adjusted or a different medication substituted over time. Again, monitoring is crucial.

Laser treatment is sometimes used when glaucoma doesn't respond to medication. A small scar is made in the eye's drainage system, allowing fluid to flow more freely out of the eye. In more severe cases, a surgical procedure called filtering microsurgery is used to create a small drainage hole.

Some studies have suggested that it's possible to reduce eye pressure with regular exercise. In one study, glaucoma patients exercised for three months -- riding stationary bikes four times per week for 40 minutes -- and reduced their IOPs an average of 20 percent. But talk with the eye doctor about the effects of exercise on his glaucoma: Exercise may not be helpful for everyone, and for some people it may even result in an increase in IOP.

To learn more about glaucoma treatment, you may want to sign up for the Glaucoma Foundation's free booklets and newsletter.