Medications Used to Treat Glaucoma

"Glaucoma" is an umbrella term used to describe eye diseases that lead to optic nerve damage. Most cases of glaucoma involve a rapid or gradual increase in eye pressure. Left untreated, glaucoma may lead to blindness. Since you can't regain vision loss due to glaucoma, treatment focuses on slowing down glaucoma's impact on your eyes and reducing intraocular pressure. In the early stages of glaucoma, doctors often use a variety of eye drops and oral medications to slow and prevent future eyesight loss. Not all medications work for everyone, so consult your doctor before you proceed with a specific medication.

Significance

• Glaucoma treatment often presents difficulties because most forms of glaucoma produce relatively subtle symptoms such as a slow but steady decrease in vision. Moreover, once you suffer vision loss or ocular damage, there's no way to restore it. However, if you begin glaucoma medication before you lose significant sight, you may be able to save your vision. Know the risk factors of glaucoma so your eye doctor can check your ocular pressure and other glaucoma indicators before damage occurs. These risk factors include age (over 60), race/ethnicity (glaucoma occurs six times more often in African Americans than in white Americans), family members with glaucoma and nearsightedness.

Beta-Blockers

• Beta-blockers work by decreasing fluid production in your eye. As fluid builds up, intraocular pressure increases, causing ocular damage over time. Common beta-blockers include levobunolol, betaxolol and metipranolol. Patients usually tolerate beta-blockers with minimal side effects. On occasion, however, patients experience breathing trouble, lowered pulse rate and a drop in blood pressure. To use beta-blockers and other eye drops, tilt your head back, pull down your lower eyelid and deposit the appropriate number of drops in the lower eyelid. Close your eyes for a minute to ensure the drops are absorbed and don't enter your tear duct.

Alpha-Agonists

• Like beta-blockers, alpha-agonists decrease ocular fluid. In addition, alpha-agonists help to increase your eye's fluid drainage capacities. The most commonly used alpha-agonists are apraclonidine and brimonidine tartrate. Side effects occur rarely with alpha-agonists, but you may experience mild side effects such as slight eye burning, dry mouth or headache.

Other Eye Drop Medications

• In addition to beta-blockers and alpha-agonists, doctors prescribe other eye drop medications that decrease ocular fluid production or increase your eyes' drainage abilities. Medications such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (including acetazolamide) decrease fluid build-up. Eye drops that increase fluid drainage include epinephrine compounds, cholinergic/miotic agents such as carbachol and prostaglandin analogs like bimatoprost or travaprost.

Oral Medications

• Eye drops alone may not adequately slow the progression of your glaucoma. While some doctors move straight to surgery, others will suggest you try oral medications in addition to your eye drops. Oral medications to treat glaucoma include pill forms of carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors, which aim to increase fluid drainage. Common CA inhibitors include acetazolamide, dorzolamide HCI and brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension. CA Inhibitors may cause you to lose potassium. Eat bananas to restore your potassium levels. MayoClinic.com also warns of potential side effects from CA Inhibitors such as frequent urination, finger tingling, rashes and kidney stones.