Usually, your practitioner will decide which approach is likely to control youreye pressureand best help maintain sight.
Many scan the vitamin aisles for potential remedies.
Vitamin B12 may possibly improve the visual field, but evidence is limited.
Verywell / Joules Garcia
Reaching for vitamin C won’t necessarily help either.
Herbal remedies may also be on the radar.
The antioxidant ginkgo biloba may improve visual fields in some, but evidence is limited.
Prescriptions
The most common wayto forestall glaucomain the United States is by using prescription eye drops.
These may work to protect the optic nerve in different ways.
The class of drugs a drop belongs in depends upon the active ingredient.
These classes include:
Potential Side Effects
In most cases, glaucoma medicines are well tolerated.
Still, some may experience some side effects.
Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty
This is used for open angle glaucoma to improve outflow.
By doing this, more fluid can flow from the eye and allow pressure to lower.
With this approach, only pigmented cells are targeted while the rest of the drainage tissue remains intact.
If implants are inserted, they remain in place permanently.
One of the perks of this procedure is that it tends to be safer and patients usually recover faster.
This allows fluid to leak through the wall of the eye relieving pressure.
Glaucoma Implant Surgery
Another way to reduce pressure in the eye is to use a tube shunt.
This procedure is typically used in cases where conservative measures or trabeculectomy have not been successful.
A tube shunt is also the preferred surgical procedure for certain subtypes of glaucoma, such as neovascular glaucoma.
Other options include iDose TR (travoprost).
The iDose TR is a surgical implant that continuously releases medication.
However, this is something that should always be discussed with your practitioner.
Marijuanause is sometimes touted by some as a way to reduce pressure.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology does not recommend this approach.
Marijuana use is simply not practical.
The amount needed to be consumed would affect mood and mental clarity.
Meditation is another possibility.
In some cases, these may also be combined to further lower pressure.
The aim, as always, is to keep your vision sharp and your optic nerve healthy.
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Glaucoma Research Foundation.What vitamins and nutrients will help prevent my glaucoma from worsening.
July 23, 2018.
Bright Focus Foundation.Five common myths about glaucoma.
March 17, 2017.
Glaucoma Research Foundation.Update on alternative glaucoma medications.
June 26, 2019.
Glaucoma Research Foundation.Glaucoma medications and their side effects, July 23, 2018.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Glaucoma: What every patient should know.
University of Virginia Medical Center.Glaucoma surgery.
Bright Focus Foundation.Laser peripheral iridotomy: Surgery for narrow-angle glaucoma.
March 25, 2017.
Bright Focus Foundation.Tube shunt drainage devices for glaucoma.
Food and Drug Administration.iDose TR label.
Senthil S, Dada T, Das T, et al.Neovascular glaucoma - a review.Indian J Ophthalmol.
