Will treatment for glaucoma be different for everyone?

  Glaucoma is a disease characterized by sunken optic papillae, optic nerve atrophy and visual field loss, and increased intraocular pressure is the main risk factor. When the intraocular pressure exceeds the limit that the optic nerve can withstand, it causes optic nerve atrophy, visual field loss and vision loss. The optic nerve is like a “cable” that transmits external objects seen by the eye to the visual center of the brain. Early, mild visual field defects are often difficult to detect. If the optic nerve is severely damaged, it can lead to blindness. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, after cataracts, and the first irreversible cause of blindness worldwide. Although glaucoma is a lifelong disease, it can be effectively controlled by aggressive early treatment to maintain long-lasting effective vision.       Three types of treatment are currently available: medication, laser and surgery. Through treatment, the IOP is lowered to the range of IOP tolerated by each patient, also known as the “target IOP”, “target IOP” or “safe IOP”, so that the optic nerve damage The optic nerve damage does not progress and the visual field loss does not continue. Glaucoma patients often ask their doctors: Why is my glaucoma treated differently than others and why is the treatment different?       This is because the pathogenesis of glaucoma is complex, there are many types of glaucoma seen clinically, and the prognosis is different with different treatments. Therefore, the treatment method is different for different patients, and the target IOP base also varies from person to person due to the thickness of the cornea, the nerve fiber layer of the fundus, the change of the disc rim, the shape of the visual field, etc. Therefore, the treatment plan for glaucoma patients needs to be “customized”. Just like patients with hypertension and diabetes can live a long life if they are effectively controlled and their biological behavior is well regulated. Therefore, individualized treatment of glaucoma patients is particularly important.