How long will glaucoma treatment results last?
How long will the glaucoma treatment results last?
The results of glaucoma treatments are based on physical goals, which include eye pressure reduction and assessing changes to the optic nerve and functional goals, which are based on measuring whether the treatment is preventing your vision from further deteriorating.
For the majority of glaucoma patients on treatment, the results of treatment will last for a very long time i.e. for many years if not the rest of your life. Because most glaucoma patients do not suffer from obvious visual symptoms, we always recommend regular monitoring to determine whether the results of the treatment are being maintained. For the majority of people, this usually means being reassessed once or twice a year for the rest of your life.
The majority of glaucoma patients will be started on a medical treatment via using eye drops. The following are reasons for treatments not lasting in some patients:
- Side effects associated with the treatment
- An allergic reaction to the treatment
- Reduced effect of the treatment in terms of eye pressure reduction
Side Effects Associated With The Treatment
Most patients taking glaucoma eye drops will not suffer from any side effects or only experience transient stinging when putting in the medication. However, a few patients can develop significantly noticeable side effects and these will vary depending on the medication you are taking. Some side effects are only associated with the eye that is being treated while some can affect your general health. Hence the importance of regular follow up with your doctor to identify unacceptable side effects which might then warrant a change in your treatment.
Allergic Reaction To The Treatment
Most patients taking glaucoma eye drops will not develop any adverse reactions to the treatment they are using. However, a few may develop an allergic reaction, which should be considered in the patient reporting symptoms such as redness, soreness, grittiness and/or itching. Hence the importance of regular follow up with your doctor since it is important to identify any of these symptoms as well as eye and/or skin changes suggestive of an allergic reaction.
Reduced Effect Of A Treatment In Terms Of Eye Pressure Reduction
The effect of all glaucoma treatments (medical, laser and/or surgical) can diminish over time.
If we have recommended a laser trabeculoplasty treatment, research has reported that the initial success rate varies from between 70 to 90% at one year, decreasing gradually each year to between 25 to 70% at five years. The usefulness of this laser treatment is that it can be repeated. Also, this treatment can be combined with medical treatments.
If we have recommended a surgical treatment such as trabeculectomy, multiple studies have shown it can be a very successful treatment for many years. For instance, one study entitled “A Twenty-Year Follow-up Study of Trabeculectomy: Risk Factors and Outcomes” published in 2012 in the peer review medical journal Ophthalmology reported that trabeculectomy survival at 20 years was approximately 60% with no medication and approximately 90% with additional topical medication.
It should be acknowledged that other studies also report that the effects of trabeculectomy can reduce over time. However even if the effects of glaucoma surgery wear off, there are usually plenty of other treatment options that we can consider to reduce eye pressure including restarting medical treatment.
