What Glaucoma Treatment is Available? by Kathryn Dawson

Treatment of glaucoma should be carried out as soon as possible once a diagnosis has been made. It is a condition of the eye that can become very serious if left untreated. It is a condition that can take many years to develop and so diagnosis can sometimes be difficult. Sufferers of glaucoma are affected by blurred vision, double vision and overall poor eye sight. If treatment is not administered it can lead to partial or complete blindness eventually. Anyone wishing to find out more about the condition as well as learn about what glaucoma treatment is available should read on. This article discusses the reasons why glaucoma occurs, what treatment is most effective and how laser eye surgery can help.

Glaucoma occurs when there is an increase of pressure within the eye. There are two reasons why the pressure would increase. The first cause of pressure is from blocked drainage canals. When fluid in the eye is unable to drain away, the pressure slowly begins to build. Glaucoma caused in this way is called open angle glaucoma. Internal pressure within the eye can also build when a there is only a very narrow space between the iris and the cornea, too narrow for fluid to flow freely. Glaucoma that develops because of this rarer condition is known as closed angle glaucoma. It can take many years for the condition to develop fully, with often many years passing before any serious effects are noticed by patient or doctor. Blurred or double vision are often the first symptoms that signal something is wrong with the eyes.

Fortunately there is very effective treatment for both forms available. For relatively minor cases, a course of eye drops may be all that is needed. For more serious cases or those people who are not wishing to wear glasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery can be the best form of treatment. Although surgery may sound complicated, it is in fact a straightforward and uncomplicated procedure that gets straight to the root of the problem. The surgery itself is extremely short, and recovery is usually quick with patients feeling back to normal after a couple of days. The surgery works by relieving the build up of pressure by restoring the natural flow of the fluid in the eye.

Treating glaucoma with surgery has an extremely high success rate. Although any lost vision that has already occurred cannot be restored, it can effectively preserve the remaining sight of a person. Because of the slow development of the condition, regular eye checks are absolutely imperative. Any problems can be caught quickly which make successful treatment all the more likely.

Anyone suffering from eye problems no longer needs to suffer in silence. The advancements in technology mean that even those with the most serious problems can be reviewed with the possibility of effective treatment to help restore them to a better quality of life. Even wearers of glasses can today have refractive surgery which may remove the need for glasses or contact lenses altogether. This too is an extremely effective way to correct most eye problems, and is also simple to carry out with minimal disruption to daily life. Often patients may return to work a couple of days later, good as new!

Although conditions of the eye can be very serious and cause major problems to a person's quality of life, there are treatments, such as glaucoma treatment, available to slow the degeneration further or even restore vision. Laser eye surgery and refractive surgery are two surgical procedures that are highly effective for improving a person's sight and for preventing glaucoma and other eye conditions from worsening.