‘Glaucoma eye drops prevent vision loss only if patients use them correctly’
| Date :18-Mar-2020 |
Dr Rekha Khandelwal
Staff Reporter :
Glaucoma Month Awareness
Glaucoma is a chronic disease that leads to irreversible vision loss. The world is coming together to spread the awareness of the blinding disease. In glaucoma, the intraocular pressure within the eye is at unhealthy levels. This abnormal pressure puts strain on the delicate nerve (optic nerve) and causes blindness. Currently, lowering eye pressure is the only modifiable risk factor for the progression of glaucoma. It can be accomplished by antiglaucoma eye drops, laser or surgery.
The treatment needs to be carried out throughout the life. Glaucoma can be controlled, but there is no cure, said Dr Rekha Khandelwal, well-known Ophthalmologist and Head, Department of Ophthalmology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences. Dr Khandelwal pointed out, “Anti-glaucoma eye drops are the easiest solution to prevent glaucoma progression but only if taken on a regular and consistent basis. Research has shown that approximately 40% of patients do not take their glaucoma medications as prescribed. Following pearls will help in better understanding of the ‘Do’s and Don’ts while using antiglaucoma drops for glaucoma management.” Many patients have ‘on-off’ behavior with eye drops, they use drops before their next appointment.
This irregular treatment will cause fluctuation in eye pressure. The glaucoma progression will continue in spite of treatment in such cases. This will confuse the treating eye doctor who will measure eye pressure on regular visits and modify treatment as per the progression of glaucoma, added Dr Khandelwal who specialises in the medical and surgical treatment of glaucoma. Glaucoma medications must be put regularly and at the same time. Some of the drops are to be used once daily while some require twice or three times a day dosing.
It is strongly advisable to match the schedule to a specific activity in your routine such as morning tea or brushing your teeth or at bed time, explained Dr Khandelwal. “If the drops are advised twice, it should be spaced at 12 hour interval i.e 8 am and 8 pm. Putting eye drops at same time ensure the eye pressure to be constantly at lower level,” informed Dr Khandelwal Life style, eye drops “Sharing with your doctor both ‘why’ and ‘when’ you miss taking your drops can help. Missing a single dose in glaucoma will cause raise pressure in the eye for a long time. It is unhealthy for the delicate nerve and will lead to slow progression of glaucoma without any symptoms. If you need to travel a lot for your work, always keep an extra bottle in your carry-on baggage. If working hours are long keeping an extra bottle at work place will be useful. If getting drops into the eye is difficult, please tell your doctor.
Sometimes simple changes such as lying back, positioning the bottle straight up and down, or stabilizing your hand can help,” elaborated Dr Khandelwal. “More than 50% do not know that they are suffering from glaucoma as there are no symptoms. Hence, many times glaucoma is detected in advanced stage leading to irreversible blindness. If detected in early stages, the incidence of blindness due to glaucoma can be significantly reduced with proper treatment. A major factor in the treatment of your glaucoma is ‘you’. Correct and consistent use of eyedrops as prescribed will lead to favorable outcome. Frequent follow-ups, as advised by the eye doctor, are very important to monitor eye pressures and progression of glaucoma,” stated Dr Khandelwal.