Glaucoma is an eye disease in which too high pressure inside the eye causes damage to the optic nerve and a decrease in vision. Unfortunately , sight lost due to Glaucoma cannot be recovered. Today there is important news on the treatment of Glaucoma. The aim of the therapy remains to lower eye pressure and thus avoid further worsening of vision.  Here are the most relevant treatments and news.

Eye drops for Glaucoma

Eye drops are usually the first therapy when the diagnosis of Glaucoma is made. They work by lowering eye pressure by one of these mechanisms:

1. They reduce the fluid that is produced inside the eye
2. They promote the drainage of the liquid produced inside the eye.

Eye drops are the simplest therapy to stop the disease, however in some cases side effects such as burning, tearing, redness of the eyes or changes in blood pressure and/or asthma attacks and coughing limit their use.

Laser for Glaucoma

There are different types of laser treatment for Glaucoma. The most innovative laser treatment today is called Trabeculoplasty and can be performed with the micropulsed laser (MLT) or with the selective laser ( SLT ) and allows you to free the drainage channels of the eye. Another very widespread laser treatment is called Yag Laser Iridotomy which consists in creating new drainage channels for the liquid present inside the eye, a technique mostly used in narrow or closed angle glaucoma. When eye drops or laser treatment are not sufficient, surgery is resorted to.

New Minimally Invasive Surgery for Glaucoma

Today there is a new group of operations for Glaucoma called MIGS (Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery). These are minimally invasive interventions with a very rapid recovery and few risks. I-Stent Inject is one of these new interventions that consists of inserting small stents inside the eye, these are small devices that encourage the outflow of water from the eye. This operation is particularly indicated in patients suffering from glaucoma and cataracts. In this case, cataract surgery and i-Stent Inject surgery are combined together with the possibility for the patient to eliminate the eye drops for Glaucoma together with the cataract. All these minimally invasive interventions (MIGS) are used in cases of initial glaucoma and allow us to reduce or even eliminate the number of eye drops that are necessary.

Surgery for Glaucoma

In the presence of advanced glaucoma, however, a real surgical operation is necessary where a completely new and alternative outflow route is created to the physiological ones that no longer work. This can be achieved by creating a fistula as in Trabeculectomy or by inserting draining implants such as Ex-Press or Ahmed’s Valve. The good result of these interventions requires follow-up at close intervals to prevent the scarring produced by our body from neutralizing the effect of the intervention.

Glaucoma Prognosis

Today Glaucoma has a decidedly better prognosis than a few years ago, and this is thanks to the new eye drops, the new laser treatments and the new devices available today. All this allows us today a much higher success rate in stopping the disease than a few years ago. However, it is important to remember that to overcome this disease, both an early diagnosis and close checks that allow everything to be monitored with the necessary attention are always necessary. We are at your disposal to offer you all the latest news made available by technology as well as all the attention and care that are necessary to overcome this disease, find here all the news on the diagnosis and treatment of Glaucoma as well as the testimonies of operated patients.