Glaucoma: modern treatment methods.

Glaucoma: modern treatment methods.

Glaucoma is one of the most common eye diseases in the world. According to the latest data, more than one hundred million people worldwide suffer from glaucoma and its consequences, direct or indirect. And the number of patients is constantly growing, day by day. Many doctors refuse to treat glaucoma, and patients are forced to put up with this terrible diagnosis. At the same time, in developed countries, such as Japan, there are effective methods that allow to treat this disease effectively without surgery in most of cases. So what is glaucoma, why does it occur, and what are the modern methods of its treatment that may not require surgery associated with high risk? Let's try to figure it out and answer these significant questions.

What is glaucoma and what is the main cause of this disease?

Glaucoma is caused by a number of factors, but the decisive one is hypertension of the eye, increased pressure of fluids inside the eyeball. Continuous and prolonged exposure of eyeball to high pressure over time may lead to partial loss of vision, and in some cases even to atrophy (death) of the optic nerve (complete blindness). If the rate of excretion of ocular secretion is significantly behind the rate of its secretion itself, glaucoma symptoms are observed, and risk of blindness rises.

Glaucoma has a number of types, which were distinguished depending on the symptoms and degree of damage to the eye. The stages of glaucoma are divided from the first (small defects in the central area of vision) to the fourth (complete loss of vision) stages. There is no single opinion on the basic causes of glaucoma. Glaucoma is always accompanied by intraocular hypertension, and its treatment is the key to treatment or at least to stopping the development of this disease. However, of all the people with glaucoma (that were subject to clinical studies), only half had intraocular hypertension before the onset of the disease. The other main reasons of glaucoma may include eye injuries and damages, diabetes of the first or second type, regular eye strain etc. Cataracts can also lead to glaucoma if discovered too late or treatment is not sufficient.

What are main treatment methods of glaucoma?

There are three main treatment areas in the treatment of glaucoma. We shall enlist them below in decreasing order of side effects’ severity.

• Surgical intervention, which includes methods such as canaloplasty, laser correction of glaucoma, as well as the introduction of small implants to enhance drainage of eye secretion.
• Non-surgical medical treatment of glaucoma, designed to reduce eye pressure, primarily with the help of various drugs in the form of eye drops. It is imperative to understand the suitability of the medicine for your specific diagnosis. This requires regular medical supervision, especially after the start of treatment.
• Supportive treatment using active biological substances that normalize the metabolism of the eyeball, such as omega-3 fatty acids, turmeric, as well as resveratrol. This may not be enough on its own, but may do great job to support eye ball when applied together with main treatment, this goes especially for omega-3 derivatives.

All the methods described above require preliminary serious consultation, and subcategories two and three, mentioned above, require regular monitoring and periodic consultations with your doctor. It is extremely important to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment methodology used to achieve the optimal effect and minimize potential side effects.

Next, let's turn to the latest developments in the field of glaucoma treatment in Japan. Let's see what effective medicines are available on Japanese market, and what are their main features.

Glaucoma medicines in Japan: innovative approach.

In Japan, there are two main medicines for treating glaucoma. The first of these is the newer and more effective Lumigan eye drops, causing a minimum of side effects. Lumigan contains the substance called bimatoprost 0.03%. This glaucoma medical eye drops has direct effect on the prostamide receptors. Lumigan effectively accelerates the drainage of fluid in the eyeball along the path of uveal outflow. This helps to reduce intraocular pressure even more effectively. Lumigan has been repeatedly tested for efficacy in fundamental researches such as Woodward, D. F. et al.: J. Ophthalmol., 2010, 926192, 2010, Aihara, M. et al.: JP. J. Ophthalmol., 55, 600, 2011 and a number of others.

The second most popular medicine in the form of drops for the treatment of glaucoma in is Glanatec. The mechanism of action of this medicine is different from Lumigan. It can be used in cases where the first medicine has not shown sufficient results. Glanatec medicine from Japan for the treatment of glaucoma primarily inhibits the protein Rho kinase, which functions are directly related to the development of glaucoma. Also, this preparation promotes drainage of moisture and enhances the outflow of secretions from the eyeball.

What medicine for the treatment of glaucoma should you choose?

Remember that it is extremely important to choose the optimal medicine for glaucoma depending on your needs and the specific diagnosis. Vision is perhaps the most important thing for human. You should not risk and never give chance for disease to develop and take you eyesight. Choose medications that will be effective in your case. Remember to undergo regular examinations and consult specialists in order to prescribe best medicine, correct therapy if needed and get optimal treatment.