Help! Glaucoma drops aren't working. Now what?

Posted by toryinhampton @toryinhampton, Jun 12, 2023

I am a 56 year old female diagnosed with glaucoma 4 years ago. According to my ophthalmologist I have tried all options and nothing has been successful. I have stints and have undergone 3 rounds of SLTs, and my doctor has scheduled a 4th. What are my options??

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Early on I had many SLT treatments to try and lower my eye pressure. But since then I've been fighting glaucom for over 30 years now (I'm 78) and just take eye drops (pilocarpine, cosopt, and rocklatan) to keep pressure in low teens. I had cataract surgery at 38 and they did not put in lens so I have 9 power glasses.
In the 1980's I had detachments and buckles in each eye. If the drops quit working I will be getting shunts too. What kind of shunt did you get?

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When I was first diagnosed with glaucoma in my 70s, the doc said I'd need to start using eye drops in a year or two. When I asked what was in the drops, I learned that it's a drug also used for, AHA, high blood pressure. During my next visit with my kidney doc (I've had high blood pressure since my early 20s and failing kidneys as a result), she said one solution would be to change one of my BP meds to metoprolol...which is the drug in some very common anti-glaucoma drops. Did that, and have kept the disease at bay! With her work on my behalf, I've also kept my low kidney function stable so that I may be able to avoid dialysis, which isn't something I want to start in my late 80s or 90s!

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..can I mention I have had glaucoma drops since mid 2018 its Latanoprost but I get MOnoprost as its preservative free and also couple years ago had Irodotomy each eye my pressure is about 17/18 (Canada).. but since 2022 have had episodes of boiling hot red or not red face and cannot find out cause and its keeping me up for hours at night and am wondering if its anything in the glaucoma drops but can't stop taking them to find out?? I have a page saying Latanoprost can even cause depression - rashes etc., all from an eyedrop! I am 79.

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