More detailed information on the kinds of drops given for glaucoma is found on Glaucoma Medications Described. You can also read about: Treatment Goals in Glaucoma, and about: 10 Important Tips on Instilling Eye Drops.

What characterises the medicinal care for glaucoma, and why is there such a wide variety of medicines to reduce intraocular pressure?

Glaucoma patients are usually treated with eye drops that are instilled a few times a day. These eye drops reduce intraocular pressure by reducing the production rate of the eye liquid or by improving (increasing the rate of) the draining of the fluid. There are many types of eye drops intended to treat glaucoma, and since every patient is different, medication can be helpful for one patient and unsuitable for another. Each one of the eye drops used for treating flaucoma belongs to a different category, each category of medications defined by the chemical composition and means of action. It is possible to use eye drops from different categories combined, in order to decrease intraocular pressure more usefully and effectively. However, eye drops blonging to the same group are very similar, and so it is unreasonable to use more than one kind of medicine from the same group. A group of medications is also reffered to a family of medications. Currently there are 5 families of eye drops for glaucoma.

Every kind of medication has side effects, and eye drops used for treating glaucoma are no exception. Eye drops side efects are usually not significant or harmful to the eye; but seldom some eye drops cause problems, such as local irritation of the eye or an allergy. Though these problems do not endanger the eye in most cases, it is important to notify your eye doctor about them, as there may be other drops with a similar effect on intraocular pressure that would not cause inconvinience or other side effects.

It is strictly forbidden to use alternative medications or a different dosage of your medications without consulting your eye doctor, or to abstain from taking the medications, even for one day. It is recommended to keep a spare bottle of all your different eye drops, so that you won’t run out of them.

Important information on all kinds of medications used to treat glaucoma can be found on the page:

Glaucoma Medications Described

 You can also read about: Treatment Goals in Glaucoma,

and about:  10 Important Tips on Instilling Eye Drops.