Can Glaucoma be Cured

can glaucoma be cured

Some people do well under pressure, and maybe some inanimate things do pretty well with strain and stress being put on them too. But your eyes aren’t one of them, and the reason that glaucoma is such serious issue is because all the intraocular pressure that builds up can permanently damage eyesight or even cause vision loss if it’s allowed to continue unchecked. Fortunately it’s quite manageable if treatment begins early enough, and for can glaucoma be cured the answer is that no it can’t be cured. It can’t be reversed either, so early detection is key. Is glaucoma curable? No, it’s not.

Some people may want to pay more attention to a discussion around can you cure glaucoma. That’s because certain types of individuals are most at risk of having this eye disorder develop. For starters, if you’re over 40 you’re automatically more at risk of having glaucoma, and that’s due to the simple realities of aging and the body having a lot more mileage on it in general. That can apply to your eyes too, but if you also have diabetes then this nearly doubles the risk of glaucoma between these two factors.

High blood pressure can also be a major contributor, and you may be more inclined to ask if glaucoma can be cured if you are of African, Asian, or Hispanic ancestry. These people are also more likely than other races to have glaucoma, and of course there’s nothing anyone can do to counter that risk factor the same way they might be inclined to live healthier and maintain a better body weight to avoid diabetes. Although there’s no one that escapes the ravages of time either. So instead of going on further about is glaucoma curable let’s talk more about the condition itself.

From the Sides

A lot of people may be able to skate relatively well and hold a stick in their hand, but they won’t be able to be a centerman on an ice hockey team. If you play down the middle you need to be able to distribute the puck and when you play the world’s fastest and most intense game you need to be able to see out the sides of your eyes well. That’s peripheral vision, and while you may not have what it takes to be Sidney Crosby you should at least have sufficient vision of this sort. This is connected to can glaucoma be cured in a sense that testing your peripheral vision is one way to see if you might be developing glaucoma.

What heightens the threat from glaucoma is that there are few warning signs when the disease is in its early stages, and many times once a person finally sees an ophthalmologist they may well be at the point where glaucoma is already advanced and is glaucoma curable is even less of an option. It’s for this reason that if you are over 40 it is advisable to see an ophthalmologist for a routine eye exam every 2 years to ensure that your vision is in good health as you begin to move towards your senior years.

If you have pressure buildup in your eye and are in the early stages of developing glaucoma then the doctor may suggest you begin using some type of glaucoma treatment medication like Timoptic eye drops. They are formulated to relieve some of that intraocular pressure buildup but you’ll need to be sure to use them exactly as frequently as indicated in the prescription.

Laser to the Rescue

For many folks though the reality with can glaucoma be cured is not only that it cannot be cured but that they’re already too far past the point where medicated glaucoma eye drops are going to work as well as needed. There are other glaucoma treatment options too, and one of them is laser iridotomy surgery. This is for closed-angle glaucoma – the most common type – and what it involves is the laser creating a tiny hole in the eye’s iris so that some of the intraocular pressure is relieved.

We know glaucoma is not curable, but an option for others who have open-angle glaucoma is a trabeculoplasty. This is also a laser surgery for glaucoma but it is different in that the laser focuses on making the angle less extreme. Either type of surgery can be very beneficial if you’re suffering from progressively worsening vision loss from glaucoma and it has advanced to the point that using glaucoma treatment medications is no longer a viable course of treatment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.

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