Can glaucoma be cured?

  Glaucoma can certainly be cured, but only in a small number of early stage patients. The majority of patients are cured in the clinical sense as opposed to getting better, which can be achieved is a clinical cure.  There are several types of glaucoma, which can be divided into primary, secondary and congenital. The most common type of glaucoma is primary glaucoma, which includes open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. Regardless of the type of glaucoma, the underlying cause of its development is: abnormal intraocular pressure due to impaired atrial fluid circulation.  The goal of glaucoma treatment is to stop the progression of glaucoma as much as possible and eventually reduce the loss of retinal nerve fibers, thus preventing blindness during the patient’s lifetime. The treatment process should be based on a comprehensive examination of the glaucoma patient, which includes an accurate grasp of the height and fluctuation pattern of IOP, detailed changes in the morphology of the retinal optic disc and the abnormal state of the retinal optic nerve blood supply or not, combined with the systemic condition and treatment.  The means of treatment: reduction of IOP, improvement of retinal optic nerve vascular circulation as well as direct retinal ganglion cell protection. The main methods are drug therapy, laser therapy, and surgery. However, in cases with existing optic nerve damage and visual field defects, a combination of multiple methods of surgical treatment is advocated.  In summary, glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness and can be long-term. Whether treatment is curative or not is generally relative, and the main concern is to control intraocular pressure to protect vision and visual field. The most important thing for patients is: early detection, early treatment, compliance with doctor’s orders, and strict review and testing in order to minimize the occurrence of blindness.