Does medication have to be used for life to treat glaucoma? It depends on the condition. If the medication can effectively control the IOP, it will be used all the time. Generally, long-term medication is eye drops rather than oral medication. Oral IOP-lowering medications are used for a short period of time, such as 1 to 2 weeks to prepare for surgery, and are not taken for a long time. However, eye drops can be used for a long period of time. If the eye pressure can be well controlled, they can be used until the condition progresses and the eye pressure cannot be effectively controlled, at which time laser or surgical treatment is the only option. During long-term medication, many patients often miss medication, which is very detrimental to the treatment of glaucoma. I once did a patient survey in Tong Ren Hospital, and 63% of all patients treated with medication had the experience of not following the doctor’s request for medication, which is a very high non-compliance rate. If you don’t take your medication on time, your IOP will be high, and high IOP will damage your optic nerve and visual field, and once this damage occurs, it can’t be reversed, and you can’t get it back. As a doctor I hope that patients can adhere to their medication according to the prescribed plan. I always emphasize with patients that medication and eating are equally important and cannot be left behind, and I hope we can work together to prevent further development of the disease.