Treatment overview

Glaucoma is a chronic disorder that cannot be cured. Open-angle glaucoma often can be treated safely and effectively with medication or surgery, though lifelong therapy is almost always necessary. Decisions on when to start treatment are based on evidence of optic nerve damage, visual field loss, and risk factors (such as elevated intraocular pressure, or IOP, increasing age, and African-American or Hispanic background). The overall aim in the treatment of glaucoma is to prevent damage to the optic nerve by lowering IOP and maintaining it at a level that is unlikely to cause further nerve damage. The appropriate target for IOP is generally 25 percent below the IOP level at the time of diagnosis. If progressive damage is detected at the target IOP, a lower target is selected. Unfortunately, treatment cannot reverse optic nerve damage or improve vision.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control Get more information online about glaucoma See our in-depth guide on cataracts More on eyes in our Eye and Vision Center Glaucoma-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

Acute closed-angle glaucoma is a medical emergency. During an acute attack of closed-angle glaucoma, IOP may be high enough to damage the optic nerve or obstruct one of the blood vessels carrying blood and oxygen to the retina. Unless IOP is lowered promptly, blindness can occur within one or two days. The goals of treatment are to protect the optic nerve and prevent a future attack in the other eye. IOP in the affected eye is lowered with medication followed by surgery, either laser (iridotomy) or conventional (iridectomy). In both cases, surgery involves making a tiny hole in the iris to allow a path for the flow of aqueous humor. Surgery is almost always successful, and repeat treatment is rarely necessary. A preventive iridotomy or iridectomy in the other eye is usually performed because of the high likelihood of a future acute attack in that eye.

This section has more on:

• Medication
• Surgery