Glaucoma and eye drops

[bunnings]

l have had glaucoma for 15 years and taking eye drops for 15 years. early mid stage glaucomA with no vision loss. The eye drops had got my pressure down to 14/16 level . After cataract surgery a year ago my eye pressure got down to 10 with the eye drops so my eye doctor told me to stop taking the eye drops l stoped the eye drops and now after a year my pressure is up to 20 and 21 .l visited my eye doctor today and asked him if l should go back on the eye drops because my pressure is backup ,  he took scans and said all the scans and tests were good and the nerve damage and glaucoma has not gotten worse since l stopped the eye drops so there no need to go back on  them. THen l said to him wouldnt it be safer to go back on the eye drops to lower the pressure , then he said something strange he said 'lowering the pressure wont help and he said he thinks l might not have glaucoma' which is very strange because he has been treating me for glaucom for 15 ears. l am not sure what he meant, l was wondering if you might know what he meant

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The pressure in the eye is constantly changing like blood pressure and blood sugar. Decisions on treatment are not based soley on intraocular pressuse (IOP).  Have to take in visual fiels, optic nerve configuration, thickness of cornea, nerve fiber layer thickness on OCT and family history.  So don't get hung up on 20/21 this is really the upper limit for normal in people wity average thickness cornea. Discuss with your MD

[bunnings]

Thanks yes my visual field result was good and eye scan results he said optic nerves not getting worse then a year ago so he said even though my eye pressure is going back up now l stopped the eye drops he said he doesnt want me to go back on the eye drops. The past 15 years l have been taking the eye drops and told how important it is to take them and keep the eye pressure down so it just seems strange now he says not to take the eye drops any more after my cataract surgery a year ago. But l guess l should follow his instructions

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Standard cataract surgery lower the pressure in the eyes 1-2 mm in most people and in glaucoma patients or glaucoma suspects oftern 2-4 mm  So your cataract surgery was also  a form of glaucoma surgery. I see this often in my practice, especially in patients just on one type of glaucoma drop