By Lawrence A Shafron, MD
If you have glaucoma, you are probably using eye drop medications to lower your eye pressure. High eye pressure damages the optic nerve and once the optic nerve is damaged it takes your sight away. Nerve damage from glaucoma is permanent. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to lower the eye pressure and save your sight.
There are many reasons that people don’t take their medications as regularly as they should, and they don’t always tell their doctor, but it is very important that you use your glaucoma medications faithfully. There are many solutions available to help you overcome whatever problems keep you from taking good care of your sight. Some of these problems and possible solutions include the following:
Forgetting: If you frequently forget to use your eye drops (more than once a week), try using routine daily activities as reminders. A morning drop can be remembered if you start putting it in whenever you brush your teeth in the morning. An evening drop can be remembered if you put it in right before you turn off the light before bed.
Side effects: Some drops have mild side effects, but others have life-altering side effects. If you frequently choose not to use your drops due to unwanted side effects, tell your doctor immediately. Your doctor can try another medication that is easier for you to tolerate.
Cost issues: All medications are expensive, and glaucoma drugs are no exception. Most commonly used drops are new medications and many times there are no generic versions available. However, talk to your doctor; give him the opportunity to find medications that work for your treatment and budget.
Difficulty getting the drops in: Holding the eye drop bottle over your eye and squeezing a single drop into your eye can be challenging. There are dosing aids that help hold the bottle, aim the bottle, and squeeze the bottle. So ask your doctor how to get these products.
Treating glaucoma is largely preventive. The medications lower the eye pressure to prevent damage, and since high eye pressure does not cause pain, blurred vision or other symptoms, it is natural for patients to think that they don’t need to hassle with the drops. This is wrong thinking. If your medication lowers your eye pressure; then it is working. Always talk to your doctor before stopping any glaucoma medication.
Author Lawrence A. Shafron, MD is with Advanced Eye Care Center. To schedule an appointment please call 940-382-8000.