Approximately 4 million Americans suffer from glaucoma, reports the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Untreated, glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve, may lead to blindness, but fortunately, 90 percent of people respond well to treatment, including prescription eye drops.

Function

All of the kinds of medicated eye drops that treat glaucoma work by lowering the pressure in your eyes. There are several types of eye drop mechanisms that change the pressure.

Mechanisms

Beta blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and alpha-agonist drops reduce the amount of fluid your eyes produce. And alpha-agonist drops also help your eyes drain the fluid. Other drops simply increase drainage of the fluid like prostaglandin-like compounds, cholingeric agents and epinephrine compounds.

Time Frame

There is no cure for glaucoma; doctors prescribe medicated eye drops to prevent loss of vision that can result from glaucoma. Because of this, once a doctor prescribes drops to treat your glaucoma, you are likely to use them for the rest of your life, regardless of the kind of drops.

Risks

Each type of eye drop for glaucoma has the potential to cause some side effects, reports the Mayo Clinic. Common side effects include fatigue and low blood pressure with beta blockers; dizziness and eye irritation for alpha-agonists; frequent urination for carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; eye redness or changes in eye color for prostaglandin-like compounds; eye pain or soreness for cholinergic agents; and heart palpitation, headaches and high blood pressure for epinephrine compounds.

Considerations

Your doctor may need to prescribe several eye drops before finding one that lowers your eye pressure and causes little or no side effects. Oral medications and surgery are additional treatment options for some patients.

Source:

Mayo Clinic: Glaucoma

National Institutes of Health: Medline Plus

Glaucoma Research Foundation: Glaucoma Facts and Stats