LASIK Facts

If you have recently been diagnosed with glaucoma, you could be wondering which treatments will be best for you. And, if you have kids, it’s best to work with your doctor to come up with ways that your kids can improve and maintain their vision in order to avoid glaucoma in the future. Here are a few glaucoma treatment options you may want to try.

One of the first natural eye care tips that your doctor may give you is to try some eye drops. This is the first phase of glaucoma treatment, and you should make sure that you use the drops exactly as prescribed in order to avoid more damage to the optic nerve. You should also talk to your doctor about the side effects of some medicated eyedrops, since you may start to experience some complications that have nothing to do with your eyes. Common eye drops for glaucoma treatment include beta blockers, which is used to reduce the production of aqueous humor. This will stop the film from settling over your eyes, and could produce watery eyes. If you are taking insulin in order to manage your diabetes, your doctor may recommend other types of eyedrops, since beta blockers could block the effects of insulin treatment.

Alpha-agonists are another form of glaucoma treatment, and will increase the drainage of the eye in order to get rid of infection. If you take these eyedrops, you may experience some fatigue and dizziness, and your eyes could become red and swollen. If you experience any severe allergic reactions, you should tell your doctor right away and discontinue use.

If you want to use other forms of glaucoma treatment, you may want to talk to your eye doctor about oral medications. Medicines like Diamox or Neptazane are useful for treating and managing glaucoma, and taking the pills with food will definitely reduce the side effects.

If the medications that you are using are not producing the desired effects in your glaucoma treatment, you may want to consider surgery. This is also an option if you can't tolerate certain medications. In some cases, a series of surgeries may be necessary, since the first procedure may not lower the eye pressure enough.

In order to reduce the risk of getting glaucoma, it is important to make sure that your diet is full of natural eye care foods that have beta carotene. This vitamin is found in foods that are orange and yellow in color, so including things like carrots and squash in your diet will strengthen your eye muscles and protect your eye from infection.

For more information on glaucoma treatment and medications that may be best for you, visit www.mayoclinic.com.