Stop Glaucoma (medication) eye drops

Posted by evw100 @ew100, Jul 31, 2020

I just turn 81. My ophthalmologist thought I have Glaucoma last year and prescribed two kinds of drops! I read Glaucoma progresses very slowly, about 20 years before blindness! These eye drops have preservatives that irritate my eyes! The pressure on both my eyes are border line high at 23. My father was blind at age 40 with Glaucoma but none of my 8 siblings have Glaucoma. I have stopped the eye drops for a month now and just wondering if someone is in my predicament - continue the drops or stop the drops until Coronavirus vaccine is available, so I feel safe to see the doctor.

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Profile picture for liliv @liliv

Did anybody start to develop redness and itchy eyes after longer time of using eye drops like cosopt and monoprost? Ophtalmologist says this is seasonal allergy which I never had before. But after using allergy drops the itchiness is till there so how can this be an allergy? I am thinking to stop the glaucoma drops to see if these problems go away. Any risk in stopping drops for a while?

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Please follow the wise advice from @jakedduck1 and go back to the ophthalmologist - if you are on 2 drops, it means your pressures are not being controlled by a single type, or your glaucoma is progressing.
Ask for a different med or one that is preservative-free. My friend had to get his preservative-free ones from a compounding pharmacy (a special pharmacy where they mix meds to a doctor's specific order) to avoid some major side effects. He also placed a cold compress on his eyes after using them.
Eyesight is one thing you cannot get back, please protect it!

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My twin sister has glaucoma which is controlled by eye drops. I do not have glaucoma but my doctor whom I do see once a year for test of my eyes prescribed for me Xalatan eye drops to take every day as a precaution,
Should I take the eye drops even that my eyes are perfect?

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Profile picture for empara @empara

My twin sister has glaucoma which is controlled by eye drops. I do not have glaucoma but my doctor whom I do see once a year for test of my eyes prescribed for me Xalatan eye drops to take every day as a precaution,
Should I take the eye drops even that my eyes are perfect?

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@empara
Hi
I've had glaucoma for over 30 years now and take 3 different eye drops. I recommend you take your doctors advice to help prevent progression.
Don

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Profile picture for empara @empara

My twin sister has glaucoma which is controlled by eye drops. I do not have glaucoma but my doctor whom I do see once a year for test of my eyes prescribed for me Xalatan eye drops to take every day as a precaution,
Should I take the eye drops even that my eyes are perfect?

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@empara Like Don ( @dsh33782 ), I have had glaucoma for many years and am VERY protective of my eyes.
Even without actual changes from glaucoma, you can have increased intraocular pressure, which is usually the precursor to the disorder. Xalatan (latanaprost) decreases that pressure and protects your vision. Was it prescribed during a routine exam by an optometrist, who is the eye doc most commonly seen by people without vision problems?
Are you seeing an ophthalmologist, who is an MD specializing in diseases of the eye? Have they done any scans or (mechanical) visual field tests to determine whether there may be subtle changes? With your family history, that's what I would do if it hasn't been done already.

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Profile picture for Don Higgins, Volunteer Mentor @dsh33782

@empara
Hi
I've had glaucoma for over 30 years now and take 3 different eye drops. I recommend you take your doctors advice to help prevent progression.
Don

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@dsh33782 Thank you for your reply.
I do not have glaucoma my eyes are perfect checked every 12 months by ophthalmologist for last 7 years. But still he prescribed for me Xalatan eye drops because my sister has glaucoma as he said just as precaution for me not to get glaucoma.
So the question is should I take that drops having no problem with my eyes?.

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Profile picture for Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn

@empara Like Don ( @dsh33782 ), I have had glaucoma for many years and am VERY protective of my eyes.
Even without actual changes from glaucoma, you can have increased intraocular pressure, which is usually the precursor to the disorder. Xalatan (latanaprost) decreases that pressure and protects your vision. Was it prescribed during a routine exam by an optometrist, who is the eye doc most commonly seen by people without vision problems?
Are you seeing an ophthalmologist, who is an MD specializing in diseases of the eye? Have they done any scans or (mechanical) visual field tests to determine whether there may be subtle changes? With your family history, that's what I would do if it hasn't been done already.

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@sueinmn Thank you for your reply.
Yes I am seeing every year ophthalmologist and have tests done and I never had and I do not have glaucoma.
My twin sister has not me .But what I question he prescribed Xalatan eye drops to take every day just as precaution. Why to take medicine if I don't have any eyes problem?

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Profile picture for empara @empara

@sueinmn Thank you for your reply.
Yes I am seeing every year ophthalmologist and have tests done and I never had and I do not have glaucoma.
My twin sister has not me .But what I question he prescribed Xalatan eye drops to take every day just as precaution. Why to take medicine if I don't have any eyes problem?

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You could see a neuro eye doctor and let him/her decide. They specialize in diseases of the eye.

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Profile picture for empara @empara

@sueinmn Thank you for your reply.
Yes I am seeing every year ophthalmologist and have tests done and I never had and I do not have glaucoma.
My twin sister has not me .But what I question he prescribed Xalatan eye drops to take every day just as precaution. Why to take medicine if I don't have any eyes problem?

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@empara Ask the doctor to explain their reasoning. There may be new research showing when someone as close as a twin has glaucoma, you have a high risk. What are your pressures?

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Profile picture for Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn

@empara Ask the doctor to explain their reasoning. There may be new research showing when someone as close as a twin has glaucoma, you have a high risk. What are your pressures?

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@sueinmn Thank you again
Yes he said that having sibling with glaucoma I am in higher risk.
I didn't ask about pressures but will do when I will see him next time. Thank you for telling me about it.

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Please listen to your doctor and see him/her as often as your insurance will allow. Glaucoma can progress very slowly or by leaps and bounds. When I moved from my home of 49 years into a retirement community, I had to find all new doctors. I had to wait a few extra months for an appointment with a opthamologist, and my bad eye worsened in the process. Because a Timolol prescription caused my cornea to turn cherry-red, my new doctor prescribed a preservative-free brand called Iyuzeh, which is much more expensive. Fortunately, a kind pharmacist at my new CVS helped me and my doctor fill out a form to get Iyuzeh by mail at a reduced cost. I have cut my final cost still further by using each single-dose applicator twice instead of once. The vial caps that come with each dose of Iyuzeh cannot be put back on. However, you can replace each of those applicator caps as you remove it with one that comes from a single-use vial of Refresh or Systane, which are OTC brands of artificial tears.
You may want to use the artificial tears midway between the doses of your prescription to prevent dry eyes from adding to your problems.
My last doctor also had me applying for ten minutes a day a pellet-filled, “Thermalon” eye mask that I heat for 20 seconds in the microwave. This may help by stimulating the tiny glands at the base of the eyelashes. I bought the mask at amazon.com. Do arm exercises or listen to a book or a podcast while you are “in the dark.”
The good news, according to my new opthamologist, is that glaucoma usually affects just one eye. With regular doctor visits, tests, and eyedrops, you can slow its progress and be proactive should it begin to show up in the other eye.
I wish you the best of health.

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