Frequent questions about Glaucoma

No. If you have glaucoma, it means you have a disease that affects the optic nerve. Intraocular pressure is a very significant risk factor, but not all patients with glaucoma have high intraocular pressure and not all patients with high pressure always develop glaucoma.

The prognosis for the disease depends on the extent of the glaucoma at the time of diagnosis. At present, with the exception of some extremely aggressive types of glaucoma (pseudoexfoliative, etc.), in most cases the evolution of the disease can be curbed, and the patient’s vision will not deteriorate further.

Yes. The chronic use of cortisone via any administration route (eye drops, orally, intravenously, inhaled, nasal sprays, etc.) can increase intraocular pressure after 4–6 weeks of continuous treatment, particularly in patients that tend to have a high baseline pressure and those with glaucoma. You must tell your ophthalmologist if you are taking cortisone.

All first-degree relatives (children and siblings) of glaucoma patients should go for an annual eye examination from the age of 40.

Some studies cite stress as a trigger for a sudden increase in eye pressure in patients with angle-closure glaucoma. There is no clear association with open-angle glaucoma, which is the most common type in our setting.

Yes, it is perfectly normal. The test accounts for the fact that some lights might not be indicated even though you see them. That is why the machine repeats any lights that go unnoticed. Your result should not be altered if you miss a few lights because they will reappear more than once.

The frequency of intraocular pressure measurements, optic nerve examinations, campimetry and optic nerve optical coherence tomography tests depends on the extent of the glaucoma and how well the pressure is controlled. For example, in well-controlled, mild glaucoma, a check-up every 6–12 months may be enough, whereas in cases of advanced glaucoma or those with uncontrolled intraocular pressure, patients may need to visit the ophthalmologist every 1–3 months.

If you forget to take a dose but remember within a short time (e.g., after 1–2 hours), you should apply the drops and continue with treatment as usual. If a longer period has passed (4–5 hours), the best thing to do is wait until the next dose.

The best advice is to follow the treatment you always apply. This will allow your ophthalmologist to obtain a more accurate picture about whether your treatment is working effectively.

If two drops fall into your eye instead of one, do not worry because only a limited number of drops will “fit” into your eye and the excess will flow out.

No. Single-dose medications do not have any preservatives and once opened the medication spoils. If you use it again the next day, it will not have a sufficient effect. One single-dose bottle should be applied every day (that is why each box contains 30 units – one single-dose bottle for each day of the month).

Ideally you should apply the eye drops at the same time every day, give or take 1 hour.

Recommendations are to wait for at least 10 minutes between drops, so that they both produce the desired effect.

Patients with glaucoma are advised to follow a balanced diet, exercise regularly and they should not smoke in order to maintain their optic nerve as healthy as possible. However, there are no lifestyle changes that will allow you to stop taking the treatment and the most important thing you can do to prevent your eyesight from worsening is to apply the eye drops.

Your eyesight might be blurred for the rest of the day after the intervention, but you can follow a completely normal lifestyle in terms of exertion, lifting weight and exercise.

Yes, patients usually have blurred vision after glaucoma surgery because it causes a certain amount of inflammation, plus the change in pressure and the sutures alter your graduation and therefore reduce your vision slightly. During the postoperative period and with treatment, this inflammation will gradually subside and after 3 months you can get new glasses with a definitive prescription.

You should take at least 1 month off work and reduce any physical activity (lifting heavy weights, bending over, etc.) for approximately 3 months.

The three most important symptoms are worsening vision, very red eyes and pain. If this occurs, you should visit the emergencies department to rule out the possibility of a postoperative infection.

No. Glaucoma cannot be cured, it is a chronic disease that must be controlled for the rest of your life. However, it is possible that removing the cataract has improved the drainage in the eye (by making more space) and helped reduce the intraocular pressure. Sometimes this effect is only temporary, and you will have to administer medication again later.

Glasses can only correct defects in visual acuity, they cannot restore vision lost due to damage in the optic nerve.