What are the treatments for open-angle glaucoma?

There are several main types of treatments for open-angle glaucoma. These include:

- Eye drops: There are a variety of eye drops available to treat open-angle glaucoma. These eye drops work by either decreasing the amount of aqueous humor the eye produces or increasing the outflow of aqueous humor from the eye. Some common glaucoma eye drops include pilocarpine, brimonidine, timolol and latanoprost.

- Oral medications: Oral medications for open-angle glaucoma are typically only used if eye drops are not effective in lowering intraocular pressure. These medications include carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and alpha-agonists.

- Laser surgery: Laser surgery for open-angle glaucoma is often used as a first-line treatment for patients who cannot tolerate eye drops or who do not respond to eye drops. Laser surgery works by creating small holes in the trabecular meshwork, which allows aqueous humor to drain more easily from the eye.

- Traditional surgery: Traditional surgery for open-angle glaucoma is typically used if other treatments have failed to lower intraocular pressure. These surgeries work by creating a new drainage pathway for aqueous humor to leave the eye or by removing part of the trabecular meshwork.

Additional information: it is common for a patient to use a combination of eye drops and another modality at various points in their disease or even simultaneously to try and maximize medical control of intraocular pressure